No doubt. But, from TFC’s perspective, is this a good use of cash that will inevitably have to go towards a transfer bid?
I’d argue those resources need to be used on a striker. There are probably other, more transaction friendly ways, for us to acquire a player like ES.
Edit: and in no way is that meant as a knock on the player.
I wish we could have the Aiden Morris vs. Random Canadian midfielder discourse, but because the CSB is shit, we can't.
Estaqiuo is a Bradley replacement except he is more offensive capable then Bradley ever was.
SE's skillset is the prototypical MLS DP of the South American AM variety.
Agree, he would likely have better options in Europe; so would Staq. Both seem possible; question is who's more probable. As always, it depends.
My suggestion is predicated on the Italians still being here; part of the project. At this moment, I think we need a stalwart CB more than another MF. IIUC, Toloi should be high to max TAM. A well rounded player. Captain. Contract up end of this season; a free transfer or marginal cost if the need/attempt is earlier. Has been left off Spalletti's MNT? He and his wife have roots in Brazil and Toronto is a little/few hours closure in travel time.
I think your value assessment of Staq is fair. However, Porto (the Portuguese) do not typically 'give away' their players. Barring a negative, I would still expect his worth to be at the low double digit range. Certainly more than TFC have usually paid to date; yes, even more than the MB 10M. Obviously his brother is back in Canada, Toronto; assistant coaching at YUTDFC? As to other family ties, my understanding is all are in Portugal. I believe his father has survived his mother and his wife's et al are Portuguese as well. Maybe he is nostalgic (hey Leamington!) and decides Canada... anywhere, is a great place to start a family. I am not sure how his blink of time at Cruz Azul would impact his thinking. Also, I suspect it depends on Herdman's short-term thoughts on TFC play style and ideas/sitch about Coello, Ibarra, Osorio and to some extent MBradley. A core mid-field with the options of Coello, Eustaquio, Ibarra and Osorio is enticing.
The only problem I have with Eustaquio is TFC ruining him.
What about Stefan Savic at CB? He is a bigtime leader/warrior type, played with Fede at Fiorentina… he would be expensive…
"There are some people who might have better technique than me, and some may be fitter than me, but the main thing is tactics. With most players, tactics are missing. You can divide tactics into insight, trust, and daring." - Johan Cruyff
Has to be out of our price range, I would think. Although he must be getting up there in years, as he was at citeh a decade ago, or thereabouts.
EDIT: Looked it up, he's 32 and still starting at Atletico Madrid. I suspect too expensive but yeah, right type of profile.
WE really need a line leader. Smith has made Zimmerman a much better defender, and you should see how he barks it out during a game. He's almost torn Lukas' head off for being out of position several times this season.
Last edited by jloome; 09-12-2023 at 12:33 PM.
https://www.tfcrepublic.ca/sept-13-t...rdan-perruzza/
Good piece from John about Peruzza. His head is screwed on right, even if he hasn't quite shown it yet.
Interesting that he finds the CPL tougher than Next Pro (which is basically the former USL II, which is now more youth oriented), because of the number of older and veteran players.
Still don't know if he'll make it but if he gets the right coach, at least he has the right attitude.
A little rumour I just heard.. Seba is signing for the balance of this year and next and Insinge is 99% chance of not coming back next year. I don’t know the specifics on how he’s leaving. I suspect it’s a free transfer to get his salary off the books
Last edited by TheGoodson; 09-13-2023 at 01:53 PM.
How accurate is your rumour source?
Signing Seba for next year is incredibly hard to believe... unless he's on a league minimum. Even then..
Unrelated Note - Marco Veratti joined the qatari league.. one guy I would have loved to see here. Sad ending for such a quality player.
Last edited by SenorDingDong; 09-13-2023 at 02:37 PM.
Whitecaps to sign Junior Hoilett. Sad that TFC overlooks a local guy however instead brings in crap like Diomande.
TheGoodson, is your source the same as previous instances? Or is, could, the source be speculating further upon the recent rumour that we will learn within the next few weeks if Lollo will return to SerieA - Fiorentina at the end of this MLS season; by the end of this year?
Check out this tweet at https://twitter.com/zazoomblog/status/1701245490241675428
https://www.sportnews.eu/2023/09/11/...ascia-toronto/
Highly doubtful.
There's no reason, timing wise, for anything like that to happen now or be released in the next two weeks. There are no open transfer windows, and it would be at least a month, possibly more, premature of an actual move, which would be disruptive to everyone involved.
I think we're all aware at this point that 99% of this shit is just made up.
yes and I didn’t follow up cause I don’t really care. I’m so drained by this team I have zero affection for 98% of the team and they truly need to clean house for me to get excited again.
To clarify my earlier statement Insigne will leave after the season so in the winter market in Europe. Where he goes I could care less as I never liked him for numerous reasons
No... your source believes he will leave. There's a significant difference. Many people work at TFC. Only about three have any real say in what happens to players, and I'm pretty sure it didn't come from one of them.
People who work for TFC leak shit constantly that they've "heard", and about 10% of it actually comes to pass. They have zero internal control over information flow.
Ask your source what European club is going to pick up his contract. It's delusional. Equally delusional is the notion that he's just going to leave $20M in salary alone, before his guaranteed bonuses (which could be another $13M on top, to my understanding.)
If you can find a club in Europe that will give Lorenzo Insigne thirty-three million dollars, I'll start believing it's likely he's gone.
The only way he's going is if someone in Saudi buys him. TFC isn't going to pay it out, and I don't believe any human being is giving up that much just to play the last two or three years of his career back in Europe.
I know your source has given you good stuff in the past, but this does not pass the smell test of probability.
I also know the top two guys don't want him to leave, at least not cheaply. They wish he was carrying the team more, yes, but he's not the one of the two Italians they were hoping would go.
And now, the other one has stopped constantly misbehaving.
If they could get VALUE sales out of them, they would take them, because what they're spending relative to what they're getting is insufficient. But they don't have any magic wand to moot the contracts, so they're trying instead to get value out of them as players.
If someone makes an even half-decent Fede bid, he will be gone, because they figure he's another Van Der Wall and just a bad day away from another outburst.
If someone would pay off the vast majority of Insigne's deal, he would be gone, because he's not the leader they imagined and he isn't getting statistical value for money.
But their plan for next year, as of about three weeks ago, is to have both back and playing.
Last edited by jloome; 09-14-2023 at 10:18 AM.
What is he's allowed to go on a free? Does that shift the cost equation enough for some European teams?
JLoome…
I’m just telling everyone what I heard and all of the info I have been told has been bang on. Sometimes family life takes precedent. over money. And people leaving a lot of money on the table to do what’s best for his family…
Insigne was never worth the money. He only signed cause Manning doubled his offer
I get that. At the same time, I know who my source at the club is, and I'm telling you now, this isn't a thing. No one has made an offer for him, he has not requested to leave or made a buyout attempt.
I'll go further: they've had no formal interest in EITHER player. People know what they're being paid as a matter of public record. They've had feelers about Bernardeschi, but that's all.
As I said, if someone made a record offer, they'd take it. But that's literally what it would take, the biggest sale in club history, and someone in Serie A willing to pay him what he makes here.
He has a contract. If he leaves, we still have to pay that, or whoever takes him does, or he has to forgo it.
Nobody is forgiving $33M for two years of football in Italy. It's just not going to happen. The club knows this. Manning is well aware that they are priced out of every market except Saudi Arabia or England, and there has been no interest from either.
Last edited by jloome; 09-14-2023 at 10:47 AM.