Sounders linked to Dutch left back

With an international spot now open, the Seattle Sounders will likely move quickly to try to bring in a new player. Add another name to the list of possibilities: Miquel Nelom, who most recently played for the Eredivisie’s Sparta Rotterdam. Fox Sports Netherlands says the Sounders have offered him a two-year contract and that he’s also weighing offers from the Championship’s Bolton Wanderers and Turkey’s Rizespor.

Nelom, who hast mostly played left back, was actually teammates with Kelvin Leerdam for a couple years at Feyenoord. But unlike Leerdam, Nelom was more of a rotational player and is less attack oriented. The 27-year-old has just two seasons in which he’s played more than 1,400 first-team minutes, has scored just three first-team goals and has just 10 first-team assists. His best statistical season was back in 2013-14 when he had two goals and three assists.

The better comparison might be Tyrone Mears, who was several years older but had a similar resume. It would be particularly frustrating if the Sounders had to spend Targeted Allocation Money to sign him, especially after the league rejected their request to re-sign Joevin Jones using those funds.

Signing someone like Nelom might also indicate the Sounders aren’t done moving players out. Waylon Francis has failed to make much of a positive impact on the team, while battling injuries and unable to get regular playing time. Nouhou seems to have established himself as a starter, but might also fetch a decent transfer fee.