So, another transfer deadline day has come and gone and I am taking a look back on some of the American players abroad that won and lost during this transfer period. One caveat is that there are always deals that are reported after the deadline, so my thoughts may change, but as of right now, here they are:
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Jozy Altidore: Winner. This is a bit old, I know, but his move to AZ Alkmaar in Holland appears to be a big fat winner, so far. He is getting some playing time and he is scoring goals. Not much more needs to be said, really. Here's hoping he keeps it up.
Daniel Williams: Winner. Daniel Williams moved from Freiburg to Hoffenheim. Williams has played defensive midfield, as well as left back and right back. Williams did not play very much for Freiburg's first team over the last two seasons, but, hopefully, that will change now. Hoffenheim wanted him enough to give him a three year deal, so one would think that should result in Williams getting a chance for more playing time than he was getting at Freiburg. Anyone who can even spell “left back” has a good chance of being brought in by Klinnsman over the next two years and that means Williams is a winner on this transfer day.
Clint Dempsey: Winner. Yes, winner. The rumors were flying fast and furious about Dempsey this off-season. Sevilla, Aston Villa, Arsenal, Fiorentina, Napoli, Roma, and Paris St. Germain, to name just a few. All of these rumors were fun to consider, but I think Fulham is the best situation right now. Many USMNT fans were pushing for a switch to Arsenal, but I don’t think Arsenal is a good fit for Dempsey currently. First, Dempsey is not just going to walk into a starting spot in that midfield. Second, while I think Dempsey has the stones to fight for a spot at a “Big Club”, I think Arsenal’s problem is that they need players who can shore up the midfield defense. Dempsey does not solve that problem. On the other hand, with Fulham, Clint is a regular starter for a mid-level team in one of the best leagues in the world and he is playing in the Europa League for the second time. Additionally, with Costa Rican International Bryan Ruiz being added, Fulham’s attack has a chance to become more potent. It also cannot be ignored that Dempsey has a chance to become a Fulham legend if he stays with the club long term. All this together, makes Dempsey a transfer winner.
Michael Bradley: Winner. Bradley has moved from Monchengladbach to Italian Serie A club Chievo. Some USMNT fans were hoping for a bigger move than to a mid-table club like Chievo, but that was unrealistic. Face it, Mochengladbach did not want Bradley and loaned him out to Aston Villa for the second half of last season, where he did not get any playing time, meaning Bradley has not played first team football since January. Plus, Monchengladbach made it clear that Bradley was not in the team's plans for this season even though he had a year left on his contract. Given the real prospect of more sitting around, Bradley could have done a lot worse than moving to a mid-level team in one of the best leagues in the world. I do not expect Bradley to be handed a starting spot, but he certainly has a chance to earn playing time with Chievo. I never thought Bradley played for the USMNT because his dad was the coach. I think Bradley is a solid player and he can make it work at Chievo. Now, we'll just have to wait to see if Bradley drops that crazy English/Dutch/German accent and picks up an Italian one.Jermaine Jones: Loser. Jones is under contract with Schalke until 2014, but Schalke wanted him out and loaned him to Blackburn for the second half of last season. Blackburn wanted to sign Jones permanently, but did not want to pay Schalke’s asking price, reported to be $12 million. Undeterred, Schalke has been trying to get rid of Jones all summer and it has not worked out. Despite all of this, Jermaine has gotten some playing time with Schalke to start this season. Whether this was to put Jones in the shop window or whether Jones has earned his way back into Schalke’s plans, it remains to be seen. I do not think he is at Schalke long term, so another loan may be on the horizon. Because I think his best case scenario was to get a permanent deal with a team that wanted him, it puts him in the loser category.
Maurice Edu: Loser. Edu was reportedly being pursued by A.J. Auxerre, Bursaspor, and Queens Park Rangers, but nothing materialized. Truth be told, Edu’s play for Rangers has been inconsistent and there is a growing group of Rangers fans that think Edu is not good enough. Once that happens, it is hard to turn the crowd back to your side. As a result, I think a change of scenery would have been best for him and any of the three rumored clubs would have fit the bill: Auxerre is a top ten team in Ligue 1 and was in the Champions League last year. Bursaspor won the Turkish Super Lig in 2010 and got into the Champions League, too. QPR is newly promoted and would have given Edu a chance to play in the Premier League.
George John: Winner. I know the deal with Blackburn fell through at the last minute, but I'm still going with winner. While John has been good this season, I am not sure he is ready for the Premier League. He is only in his third season of professional soccer. It is highly likely that John would need some time to get acclimated to the Premier League and so he could easily find himself sitting on the bench at Blackburn. I would hate for John to turn into another young American who was lured to the big time too soon only to find out he was not ready. By staying in MLS, John gets to continue to develop his skills by playing ninety minutes in meaningful matches for FC Dallas as they look to make a run at the MLS Cup and in the CONCACAF Champions League. Further, if reports are to be believed, there is still a chance he could end up at Blackburn -- or somewhere else -- in January. I think staying put is not a bad thing for John right now.
Brad Guzan: Loser. Guzan has only made one appearance in the Premier League for Aston Villa since his arrival in 2008 and that seems unlikely to change this season. When Brad Friedel left for Spurs, there was some hope that Guzan could challenge for the starting spot, but the arrival of Shay Given ended that. Andy Marshall is still with Villa and he was the #2 last season while Guzan was out on loan, so it looks like Guzan will be #3 again. Guzan needs consistent first team football in order to be the best he can be and become a factor for the USMNT. Well, that and not blowing off a USMNT Gold Cup call up for your wedding. There were reports in the summer that Guzan was offered to Birmingham and there was a recent report that Queens Park Rangers were interested. Still, with no deal done as of right now, it looks like the only way he’ll get any first team action this season is on another loan most likely to a Championship club.Alejandro Bedoya: Winner. Rangers is a step up for Bedoya, but it is not overreaching. I think he has a legitimate shot at playing time shortly after he gets there. Rangers expect domestic silverware each year and they expect to play in the Champions League every year. Bedoya will go from playing in a 14,000 seat stadium to playing in a 50,000 seat stadium. Playing in a high pressure environment like Rangers should be good for developing mental toughness, a key attribute in any top level player. If Bedoya can avoid being seriously injured -- and that is a big “if” -- I think this move is a winner. (On another issue, I could have done an entry on Bocanegra to Rangers, but I kind of see that move as a draw and figured I’d just throw it in here.)
Gale Agbossoumonde: Winner. According to Greg Seltzer at No Short Corners, the 19-year-old American defender was loaned to Eintracht Frankfurt II which plays in Germany’s fourth division (Regionalliga Sud). While it is the fourth division, I still think this is an upgrade because, frankly, I am not sold on Boss’ ability yet. He has been touted for some time now, but he has never shown it on the field that I have seen. His stint with his most recent club, Djurgardens IF in Sweden's top flight, ended with him on the reserve team. You can look up his highlights on this site and see some pretty poor efforts. Regardless of whether you blame Gale or Traffic or both, the bottom line is that Gale needs playing time in order to hit the re-set button on his career. Fourth division is about where he should be right now. He’s got a chance in a low pressure environment to put his head down, work hard and develop as he climbs back up the ladder. A similar strategy looks to be working for Freddy Adu.
What do you think? Do you agree or disagree?
