Prince Tagoe Released By Bursapor?
Headlines with question marks are always funny, but in this case due to the nature of automated translation and the global nature of football there is little certainty. Indications are that forward Prince Tagoe is no longer with his club. We're talking about a Ghana national team player played in Germany and Serbia during the last season, was heavily connected to the Seattle Sounders at the summer window in 2011, eventually moved to Bursaspor in Turkey. His agent and national team coach are both Serbian and he's played in the UAE and Saudi Arabia as well. Prince Tagoe is a symbol of the global nature of the game.
His release by Bursaspor is another symbol of the international game. Roster churn is a way of life in most leagues. Tagoe's move to Turkey did not result in a strong offensive output (1 goal in 11 appearances), nor is Bursaspor in a position to make it into European qualification, a key path to money. So, despite paying a significant transfer fee to Hoffenheim Tagoe is either released, or will be shortly. Though a growing league, Turkish teams can't afford players that aren't producing right now.
Still, despite his lack of production in first and second tier European leagues he remains in the national team plans for Ghana at the Cup of Nations. There are mutterings in Ghana that this is because of his agent's relationship with the national coach. Tagoe will have one month to show the world that he deserves a contract and playing time. He will do so on a team that enters the tournament as a favorite.
Whether the Sounders are still interested in Tagoe is unknown, but with rumors of Alvaro Fernandez being interested in Europe and the dreams of fans that the club isn't done yet the possibility of a reclamation project for a once promising youngster is enticing. A few dominoes would need to fall, but the potential for significant winter moves still exists.
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Claim him as a Home Grown Player
As the MLS rules for player signings appear to be “flexible” the Sounders should claim Tagoe as an HGP:
1) Tagoe once played in Germany
2) Sigi was born in Germany
3) Tagoe once visited Seattle
4) Sigi coaches in Seattle
5) Ghana is in the Northern Hemisphere of Planet Earth
6) Seattle is in the Northern Hemisphere of Planet Earth
By Merritt Paulson’s logic, this is all it takes to be an HGP. Our claim is strengthened even further if we paid the airfare for Tagoe to visit Seattle. And if Tagoe talked to people who were on the Sounders’ payroll then he is definitely an HGP.
by Choskasoft on Jan 4, 2012 1:14 PM PST reply actions 11 recs
well, that, and
convince him to play for a fraction of his former salary
...and you will hear us scream
by malcontentjake on Jan 4, 2012 1:19 PM PST up reply actions
No salary cap on HGPs
Also right now he’s very limited to where he can play. He made appearances in two different “winter” leagues and so much go to a summer league. South America, MLS, Japan, Scandinavia.
He can’t even go to Russia because they switched.
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Are there FIFA regulations on how many different leagues
a player can play for if the leagues have the same calendar?
Two
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Well that explains
why the video game won’t let me loan out or sell a player I bought in the same season. ;-)
by Randy Meeker on Jan 4, 2012 1:37 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
I like this "six degrees of Kevin Bacon" approach.
However I only have one burning question as far as Prince Tagoe goes, how good is he on the guitar?
Go banana!
Toni?
Well just read an italian article and it looks like Sounders are interested in the all mighty Luca Toni! Rather have Toni than Tagoe.
The Luca Toni thing seems like normal agent using MLS for money in Europe thing
Also he’d be a move for one year.
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Please no.
As an avid Juve supporter, I see what Toni currently has to offer – this is not the same Luca Toni that banged in goals at Bayern Munich. He would not be a good fit for MLS – the style of play is MUCH to physical for him. And before anyone says he’s 6’4", yadda yadda, he is NOT a physical player in that he has lost any pace he once had, so his only option is to win headers and draw fouls. Think Jaqua, but better in the air and quite a bit slower.
He goes down very easily for a large man, and would not get calls here that he can barely get in Serie A, and often doesn’t.
La Vecchia Signora Forever!
by AKSupporter on Jan 4, 2012 2:18 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
An older, slower and less physical Jaqua
at a DP salary. I think he could be a decent player but not worth the salary he would demand. It sounds a lot more he is trying to pump up his transfer value. No thanks.
by Colin Johnson on Jan 4, 2012 11:25 PM PST up reply actions
Tagoe played 404 minutes in 11 matches
He only started 3 matches, so it’s tough to say that 1 goal and 1 assist in that amount of time is a fair judgment on his current abilities. I’ve seen forwards in the Premier League go through bigger slumps than that.
His coaches certainly thought much of him
both in Germany and Turkey. Then again those are two fo the to 12 leagues in the world.
Tagoe has been stunning in lowe level leagues.
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And Bursapor Paid 1.3M Euros to get him.
He must have had a large salary, and they figured that he was not producing enough to justify it. Or he just did not fit with the team. Or they are trying to free up salary for future moves.
Could be any number of reasons why he did not work out with Bursapor. It does not nessisarily mean he is not that good.
That said, i dont think the sounders could sign him now even if they were still interested, unless they sell Fernandez, (or the league starts allowing 4 DPs).
I can't find anything that reveals how much Bursaspor paid
Tranfermarket lists an estimated value. Remember they insist that Friberg was sold on a free.
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I think he was a free transfer
I ran accross a site that states he went from Hoffenheim to buraspor on a free. I don’t know how reliable the site is but it was Soccerfame.com Prince Tagoe transfer. Another site tranfermarkt.co.uk lists him now as unemployed.
If he went on a free...
Then dropping him because he had a high salary and did not fit in makes a lot of sence. Remember Rosales got dropped by his club just after he signed. See how that worked for us.
Bursaspor did pay a transfer fee
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I tend to be realistic about these things...
But, PLEASE PLEASE, bring Tagoe to Seattle. I think he’d fit perfectly. Young, good size and strength and I bet we can get him at a “decent” price.
This year's Mauro?
How cool would it be if he would take a chance on himself the way that Mauro did last year. Work for what the team can afford, prove yourself and then cash in next year. Wouldn’t it be cool if the Sounders got the deal of the year again?!
Ya, but...
He’s worth WAAAAYYYYY more than Mauro in yearly compensation. I’d say he’s at least a couple million a year. He’d never do it, unless he was desperate to play given his limited options. But it would be a coup if Seattle could pull that off.
by Adam Waltering on Jan 4, 2012 3:06 PM PST up reply actions
he's not with more than all but 3 players in MLS history
yes he’s young. yes he played in the world cup. he’s only been great in very minor leagues.
he’s now very limited as to where he can sign as well. cheap 6 month deal might be possible
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by Dave Clark on Jan 4, 2012 3:18 PM PST via Android app up reply actions
with = worth
mobile!
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by Dave Clark on Jan 4, 2012 3:19 PM PST via Android app up reply actions
For a short term deal, maybe we could pull the Lampard stunt
If there is indeed a way to have a 4th DP level player and given that Tagoe might only be here to the summer window, perhaps there is a trick of the rules we can use. Maybe a rent-to-own like we did with Mauro.
Just Fyi, from the old CBA, below is how Player Salaries per the cap is defined. I have been trying to figure out, assuming the new CBA defines it the same, where wiggle room might be.
(i) For the purposes of this Section 10.6, Player Compensation shall mean the total
cash compensation paid by MLS to the Players only for:
a. base salaries;
b. signing bonuses;
c. performance bonuses paid to players based on their individual performance;
d. termination pay, including any payments agreed upon between MLS and a Player
and made in connection with the termination of his employment agreement;
e. automobile allowances;
f. housing allowances;
g. loyalty bonuses;
h. draft bonuses;
i. agents fees; and
j. marketing payments.
Player Compensation shall not include any other compensation paid to Players including, but not
limited to:
a. MLS 401(k) contribution;
b. transfer fees;
c. option fees;
d. loan fees;
e. any group licensing payments, including those made in connection with the Group
License Agreement between MLS and the Union;
f. the CBA signing bonus set forth in Section 10.1;
g. any tax liability costs in connection with any employment agreement where MLS
indicated that it would be responsible for such tax liability;
h. employer taxes;
i. per diem payments;
j. local or national appearance fees;
k. relocation expenses;
l. reimbursed expenses;
m. insurance premiums or benefits;
n. performance bonuses paid to a Player based upon the performance of such
Player’s MLS Team;
o. workers’ compensation payments;
p. any payment made to a Player by an entity other than MLS; and
q. visa or travel document fees.
by Brougham Hooligan on Jan 4, 2012 3:42 PM PST up reply actions
pay it down via allocation
he doesn’t have a lot of options
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by Dave Clark on Jan 4, 2012 3:53 PM PST via Android app up reply actions
Yep,
That seems the most Viable. Assuming its a short term contract.
by Adam Waltering on Jan 4, 2012 3:54 PM PST up reply actions
Or pay Rosales down with allocation
Hanauer seemed to hint that it was a possibility.
That too
or sell a good player have a lot of options
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Sell draft picks
for allocation to buy down Mauro’s contract.
by Colin Johnson on Jan 4, 2012 11:46 PM PST up reply actions
Ok, when I say "worth"
I mean on the world market, not within MLS. Unless he’s had an incredible run of being overvalued in Europe.
Disclaimer: I don’t know how much he’s actually been paid but, he’s a Striker, and playing in Germany, and then being released due to lack of production he must have been making good money for them to outright cut him.
Value is a relative thing for atheletes
His value has diminished because he has been cut from his last two clubs. Regardless of the reason, this diminishes what he can expect to get in his next contract. As Dave alluded to, he is also extremely limited by FIFA rules. He cannot transfer to any team currently in the middle of its season. That means that unless he wants to sit out until next Fall, he is going to have to work out a deal with one of the few Summer leagues. A team like the Sounders suddenly becomes a much more viable option.
I'll double check
but he wasn’t a regular in Germany.
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by Dave Clark on Jan 4, 2012 3:52 PM PST via Android app up reply actions
That appears to be correct...
Looks like only about 10 appearances per year since ‘07. Maybe he isn’t worth as much as I assume.
by Adam Waltering on Jan 4, 2012 4:08 PM PST up reply actions
Except
Partizan in ’11 18 appearances 12 goals.
by Adam Waltering on Jan 4, 2012 4:09 PM PST up reply actions
28...
career goals in 58 Club appearances.
7 Intl. goals in 31 appearance.
Pretty good numbers for a non-regular.
Make that
77 in 129 club appearances. Even better.
by Adam Waltering on Jan 4, 2012 4:28 PM PST up reply actions
in Serbia
Saudi Arabia & UAE he’s been great. I’m not arguing that
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by Dave Clark on Jan 4, 2012 4:40 PM PST via Android app up reply actions
Dave..
Is there any realistic situation where you could see us picking him up before the season starts?
If Alvaro is sold
yes
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Is that the only way?
We don’t have enough cap room+allocation money to buy down Rosales salary or anything like that?
They may be able to buy down Rosales
but I don’t think there’s room after that for a full cap hit DP
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Last question...
Are DP’s the only players that can have their contracts bought down with allocation money?
No
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I always assumed that with other players
the whole contract had to be paid by allocation money if allocation money was used. The wording on the MLS roster rules is far from clear though:
It can be used like a one time bonus
changing the take home pay of only one year
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If we got Tagoe
Would we drop Ochoa or White? Is that possible?
-Ben R.
Only if they were traded
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Would seattle even have
enough allocation money to be able to buy down Rosales and reduce the cap hit on the 3rd DP player to 150k? That’s the only way i see seattle still have Alvaro and sign Tagoe.
I’m assuming they probably don’t have enough to where they could do that.
It is no longer a DP if you buy the cap hit down to 150k
Where do you get the 150k number anyway?
I'm talking about the cap hit part
not the entire contract.
To answer your question
http://www.matchfitusa.com/2010/04/mls-makes-dp-rule-changes.html
“Additionally, clubs have the option of "buying down" the budget charge of a designated player with allocation money. The reduced charge may not be less than $150,000.”
Thanks for the clarification. Makes sense.
Incidentally, yhis is just about when my heads start to hurt when I try to understand MLS roster rules.
Alright, I was bored
Did some math. Assuming Rosales is a dp @ $335k cap hit and Gspurning and Johansson combine for $325k and Burch doesn’t take a pay cut (which he probably did) we’re at $2,704,615 after 5% cba increase. Which leaves $105,385 of the $2.81mil cap to spend on the additional 3 spots. And none of this is using allocation money which one would have to assume is a significant amount.
by Adam Waltering on Jan 5, 2012 10:14 AM PST up reply actions
I thought
Seattle had more than 105k of cap space.
Well,
Gspurning and Johansson could very well make less than I guessed, but I doubt it. And Burch probably took at least a 25k cut, he was making almost 100k, plus if we leave the 1 developmental spot open then that’s an extra 35k in allocation.
by Adam Waltering on Jan 5, 2012 11:04 AM PST up reply actions
Of course if Alvaro is sold that creates a bigger problem than Tagoe could solve
by Aaron Campeau on Jan 5, 2012 10:12 AM PST up reply actions 4 recs
Indeed
it solves one issue i have but creates another.
Although if Alvaro is sold we would be in position with allocation money in order to make Rosales a non-DP and bring in 2 more DP type players where Seattle buys down the cap hit to one of the DPs.

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