TFC 2018 player in-season moves/speculation/rumours

TFC 2018 player In-season moves/speculation/rumours
Post your speculation/information/etc. here in this thread!

Confirmed (by traditional media or the club) signings can get a separate single thread. All other "inside" and other information goes here.

So I imagine our next star should be in Toronto by now

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Originally Posted by Defoe

So I imagine our next star should be in Toronto by now

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So does Aketxe just slot in on the left? Have Oso and Delgado effectively just lost their spots? Or is everyone going to rotate a lot?

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Originally Posted by James17930

So does Aketxe just slot in on the left? Have Oso and Delgado effectively just lost their spots? Or is everyone going to rotate a lot?

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Only the Gregfather knows for sure.

Seeing Auro last night, and thinking about Aketxe ... I think one of Osorio or Delgado has to be getting traded.

Delgado has more value in the trade market, I'd wager. He may be bundled with Irwin (we need his cap space freed up)

Suspect it'll be for 2019 TAM or something. We just cannot use any assets.

Makes a lot of sense. The depth would be nice but with the dreaded expansion draft every year we risk losing a quality piece for precious nothing.

Maybe this is just my own sense of paranoia, but I wonder if the CB spot isn’t the next to be upgraded. If Delgado and Osorio are being pushed out or starting spots you’d figure whoever stands next to Mavinga is eventually going to have to be of a similar quality.

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Originally Posted by ensco

Seeing Auro last night, and thinking about Aketxe ... I think one of Osorio or Delgado has to be getting traded.

Delgado has more value in the trade market, I'd wager. He may be bundled with Irwin (we need his cap space freed up)

Suspect it'll be for 2019 TAM or something. We just cannot use any assets.

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And if so then I would say not until summer. They'll hang onto the numbers until the CCL is over with and also when we can add this proposed 3rd TAM player (Mac Allister?).

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Originally Posted by ensco

Seeing Auro last night, and thinking about Aketxe ... I think one of Osorio or Delgado has to be getting traded.

Delgado has more value in the trade market, I'd wager. He may be bundled with Irwin (we need his cap space freed up)

Suspect it'll be for 2019 TAM or something. We just cannot use any assets.

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I think we need to hold onto that depth in the midfield if we are to be successful in all competitions this year. It will mean that starting calibre players will have to accept coming off the bench at times for the good of the club.

In any event, it's definitely a great problem to have.

I still can't comprehend why Irwin is on the roster. His number is stupid high for a guy that's gonna play maybe 5 games this year. That's a whole 200k that could be spent on a guy which would inevitably have a greater impact.

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Originally Posted by ensco

Seeing Auro last night, and thinking about Aketxe ... I think one of Osorio or Delgado has to be getting traded.

Delgado has more value in the trade market, I'd wager. He may be bundled with Irwin (we need his cap space freed up)

Suspect it'll be for 2019 TAM or something. We just cannot use any assets.

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I think Ensco is onto something. We have an overabundance of quality midfielders/wing backs and we need cap space. I have also heard through the grapevine that TFC are targeting to sign someone from Italy in the summer.

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Originally Posted by portu

I still can't comprehend why Irwin is on the roster. His number is stupid high for a guy that's gonna play maybe 5 games this year. That's a whole 200k that could be spent on a guy which would inevitably have a greater impact.

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We're fairly deep at every position minus CB but I think we will resign Hernandez at his low cost so who to spend $200k on? We're getting to the point where we can obviously afford a very good MLS level back up at each position so why dump a guy for nothing? Besides we have no decent back up to Bono. If Bono goes down as Irwin did by fluke two years in row, then we could derail our whole season just to spare $200k that we probably can't even use on anyone productive.

Now you could upgrade the forward position on the bench but who are you going to get for like $200K that will be happy with never playing? Either old shite or a young guy getting his feet wet and we have a few of those already.

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Originally Posted by A Stick

I think Ensco is onto something. We have an overabundance of quality midfielders/wing backs and we need cap space. I have also heard through the grapevine that TFC are targeting to sign someone from Italy in the summer.

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That's something you worry about in the summer. Not now.

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Originally Posted by Ultra & Proud

We're fairly deep at every position minus CB but I think we will resign Hernandez at his low cost so who to spend $200k on? We're getting to the point where we can obviously afford a very good MLS level back up at each position so why dump a guy for nothing? Besides we have no decent back up to Bono. If Bono goes down as Irwin did by fluke two years in row, then we could derail our whole season just to spare $200k that we probably can't even use on anyone productive.

Now you could upgrade the forward position on the bench but who are you going to get for like $200K that will be happy with never playing? Either old shite or a young guy getting his feet wet and we have a few of those already.

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I think our third stringer Caleb Patterson-Sewell is a good MLS backup. Not much MLS experience, but he played regularly in the top and second divisions in Portugal, before heading to NASL last year.

Spencer Out!!!


😅

When we announcing Ager already, I want to shit on the rest of the league.

I personally think we need to strengthen up front. Yes we have depth, but not of great quality. If Altidore gets injured or hits a slump I don’t feel that confident with Ricketts, Spencer or Hamilton leading the line. I wouldn’t be upset to see us trade the last two for a proven scorer in their place. Maybe in this case we could go for someone a little older with proven numbers but would be comfortable with fewer games

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Originally Posted by General Woolfe

I personally think we need to strengthen up front. Yes we have depth, but not of great quality. If Altidore gets injured or hits a slump I don’t feel that confident with Ricketts, Spencer or Hamilton leading the line. I wouldn’t be upset to see us trade the last two for a proven scorer in their place. Maybe in this case we could go for someone a little older with proven numbers but would be comfortable with fewer games

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You jinxed it. Jozy may miss the next 3 matches. Let's see what Hamilton does.

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Originally Posted by portu

I still can't comprehend why Irwin is on the roster. His number is stupid high for a guy that's gonna play maybe 5 games this year. That's a whole 200k that could be spent on a guy which would inevitably have a greater impact.

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I wager he plays between 10-15 matches this year. They probably think spending 200k to have a keeper good enough to win the Voyageurs Cup is worth it.

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Originally Posted by T.O TILL I DIE

Spencer Out!!!




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I like it when the #out thing is absent of our conversation. LOL

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Originally Posted by General Woolfe

If Altidore gets injured or hits a slump I don’t feel that confident with Ricketts, Spencer or Hamilton leading the line. I wouldn’t be upset to see us trade the last two for a proven scorer in their place. Maybe in this case we could go for someone a little older with proven numbers but would be comfortable with fewer games

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Since neither JHams nor Spencer is on the senior roster afaik, unless the proven scorer is also not, he would use up a senior roster slot. And if he has to carry a (near-) minimum budget charge like Cheyrou and Hernandez were willing to last year, that will effectively take some otherwise suitable possibilities out of the picture. So your scenario, while not impossible, does seem on the optimistic side.

Player for player trades are rare in MLS. Its usually player for $ or draft positions or the like.

We are unlikely to find a decent striker available from within the league.

Why did I see a tweet that said Aketxe has gone home. Is this just a joke?

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Originally Posted by Captain

Why did I see a tweet that said Aketxe has gone home. Is this just a joke?

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That's a joke if I had ever heard it, the guy just arrived in town with his agent yesterday and the team got back today.

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Originally Posted by Captain

Why did I see a tweet that said Aketxe has gone home. Is this just a joke?

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Can you post it?

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Originally Posted by General Woolfe

I personally think we need to strengthen up front. Yes we have depth, but not of great quality. If Altidore gets injured or hits a slump I don’t feel that confident with Ricketts, Spencer or Hamilton leading the line. I wouldn’t be upset to see us trade the last two for a proven scorer in their place. Maybe in this case we could go for someone a little older with proven numbers but would be comfortable with fewer games

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I'd be okay with this. The ideal situation in MLS is to have the one Sounders had when they had Dempsey, Obafemi and Eddie Johnson. Altidore was legit done by the 75th minute on Tuesday night and Vanney didn't sub him. If the options on the bench are so bad that you'd rather a 40-50% Jozy to a 100% Hamilton, Spencer or Ricketts then you need to upgrade the position.

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Originally Posted by portu

I'd be okay with this. The ideal situation in MLS is to have the one Sounders had when they had Dempsey, Obafemi and Eddie Johnson. Altidore was legit done by the 75th minute on Tuesday night and Vanney didn't sub him. If the options on the bench are so bad that you'd rather a 40-50% Jozy to a 100% Hamilton, Spencer or Ricketts then you need to upgrade the position.

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Rickets was not available due to recovering from health issues. He would have been the obvious choice as a sub if he had been.

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Originally Posted by Red CB Toronto

Rickets was not available due to recovering from health issues. He would have been the obvious choice as a sub if he had been.

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I’m aware but there have been times where a sub has been almost necessary (semifinal against Columbus) for Jozy or Seba and it hasn’t been made. Jozy scored against Columbus while legit injured. And only then did he get taken off and if I’m correct it wasn’t even for Ricketts.

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Originally Posted by Shway

When we announcing Ager already, I want to shit on the rest of the league.

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It is probably something similar to what was going on with VDW. It can take a little while for the proper paperwork and certificates to be filed and processed. Seeing as he got into town Tuesday and the team got back yesterday, I imagine by the end of this week or early to mid next week.

I think Vanney's sub patterns have been situation specific and haven’t been about lack of confidence in Ricketts. Ricketts had some pretty good games, not that long ago.

https://www.wakingthered.com/toronto...saint-ricketts

But it may be that the backup striker position can be upgraded, if we still have some TAM. This Auro signing is eye opening, there must be a lot more guys like him! (although it's not easy to find the right guy willing to come for a backup striker role).

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Originally Posted by portu

I’m aware but there have been times where a sub has been almost necessary (semifinal against Columbus) for Jozy or Seba and it hasn’t been made. Jozy scored against Columbus while legit injured. And only then did he get taken off and if I’m correct it wasn’t even for Ricketts.

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They were preparing a sub when he scored. Not a perfect example and I think we will see this season whether he has confidence in Hamilton or not. He has performed well in matches, it appears that it is his apparent inability to fully concentrate that concerns Vanney.