MLS Submits Bid For Samuel Eto'o
It would easily be the largest transfer fee ever paid, even if only about half of what Eto'o's current team wants. The National is not a news organization with which I am familiar, but the rolling David Beckham deal is the current news and MLS & Didier Drogba have been linked before.
Garber's statements about being a "top" league in the world would require moves like this. It is also a quite fantastic leap, one that may be too large to believe.
5 months ago
Dave Clark
24 comments
0 recs |
Email
PrintComments
I don't believe he's coming here
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart Follow @bedirthan Dave's Twitter
I am beyond skeptical that a bid was ever submitted, frankly.
by Aaron Campeau on Jan 1, 2012 12:06 PM PST up reply actions
I believe an agent or player rep
could have told the author that a bid was submitted
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart Follow @bedirthan Dave's Twitter
You can not believe any artice that states...
NYRB as “one of the league’s premier franchises.”
Premier reputation does not necessarily relate to losses
It is one of the most famous in the league, with great facilities and a willingness to pay money to aging players.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart Follow @bedirthan Dave's Twitter
you do not build a "top league" by occasionally poaching past-their-prime star players
you become a “top league” by building from the base and setting up a good foundation. I just wonder if money is better spent right now trying to build up a decent 2nd division…
yeah yeah yeah, I know… why would MLS and its owners care about a “minor league”… yada yada blah blah…
...and you will hear us scream
These are not mutally exclusive things
also, every league that has moved up does it by getting great players on way down. England did it in the late 80s while Russia and Turkey are doing it now.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart Follow @bedirthan Dave's Twitter
Not exactly best example of past his prime
He scored 37 goals last season and has eight in 11 games this year, while being 30.
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Jan 1, 2012 12:59 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
my favourite part of the story...
“The MLS, which manages the recruitment of overseas players on a league-wide basis, would likely place Eto’o with the LA Galaxy or New York Red Bulls, the league’s premier franchises.”
This is almost certainly one of those things that Steve Davis consistently writes about
the use of MLS as a tool by players &/or agent as leverage to change a situation where they are unhappy. That does not mean that the rumor lacks credibility as the sources tend to mean what they say at the time, but that they expect change.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart Follow @bedirthan Dave's Twitter
Even if there were a shred of truth to this, how can the league continue to claim parity when it caters to its largest markets?
Such as the creation/bending of DP rules for LA Galaxy, the absurdly proposed purchase of Eto’o to give to one of NY/LA, or the talk of Lampard still earning his 200k weekly salary as a non-DP. It’s incredibly frustrating since Seattle is obviously an organization that does things right and is progressive in finding advantages, then to just be undercut for ratings/money. Rabble rabble.
I don't care who brings in old stars
I care about who wins. Right now only LA can claim that they’ve been better than Seattle over the 3 year life of the MLS team
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart Follow @bedirthan Dave's Twitter
Wholeheartedly agree. And this increases my fandom for the Sounders.
We succeed without the help of the MLS. Obviously this is overly dramatic, but I don’t see the league negotiating a contract for a big time international target forward on the Sounders behalf.
But there is no actual evidence that they are doing something similar on LA's or NY's behalf eitherz
Or is there?
The oringal Beckham deal
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart Follow @bedirthan Dave's Twitter
Oh yeah...
But is there anything else than the creation of the DP rule, which obviously is something that was given to everybody? Of course even so LA got a head start in taking advantage of the new rule.
This would be huge
but I really don’t think the league is ready to be buying superstars. Both of the largest players in MLS (status wise) in Beckham and Henry came as free’s. This would be a significant departure from the past player acquisitions. The league only really has started to purchase players the last couple of years after the change to 3 DP’s. Eto’o also has the most lucrative contract in the world. I really don’t see the league spending 20+ Million to buy him and then pay him 20+ million a year to play. It just doesn’t make sense with MLS revenue streams. As much as I would like to be a buying league, we just don’t have the monies coming in to do so.
I agree
Adding one or two players at that level won’t do the ratings trick either. They need several of those.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart Follow @bedirthan Dave's Twitter
I suspect if Beckham goes the PSG route
the anyone-to-LAG rumor mill will go full bore, non-stop. I must admit, the only reason this isn’t a total joke is that LA is a unique city in the world. I don’t care for tinseltown, but I can see the draw for any megalomaniac soccer superstar. More importantly, if a major deal goes down early in the window, e.g. Keane to Villa, Ream to Bolton, etc., January will be crazy with MLS rumors like we have never seen before.
by Brougham Hooligan on Jan 1, 2012 10:53 PM PST reply actions
Isn't the Keane rumor
about him going to Chelsea on a loan?
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart Follow @bedirthan Dave's Twitter
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
