The narrative around Obed Vargas’ transfer to Atlético Madrid has been mostly presented as a positive for just about everyone involved. There’s good reason for that.
The biggest winner is obviously Vargas. The Alaska native is rightfully the main protagonist in this story, rising up from one of the world’s most remote regions onto one of the game’s biggest stages. Even better, he’s a genuine fan of Atléti, having dreamed of playing there for almost as long as he was capable of articulating that kind of desire.
The Seattle Sounders also come out looking pretty good. While they didn’t maximize their value and ended up moving Vargas for what they freely admit was below-market-value, they also avoided losing him for nothing. More than the $2.5 million they have guaranteed, there’s enough on the back end of the deal in both incentives and sell-on percentage that this will likely end up being a record transfer with significant upside beyond that. The Sounders have also shown they can move a player from their youth setup into one of the world’s biggest clubs, something that should only further help their recruitment.
Don’t miss that Atlético has the potential to make out like bandits in this deal, too. For the price of a virtual rounding error, Los Colchoneros have acquired one of the top young talents in Concacaf, who is eager to prove himself. Simply by donning the red-and-white, Vargas has likely increased his value to the the point that Atlético can turn a profit on this move even if he does very little. Vargas has impressed enough that he’s already made three appearances, including two in La Liga play.
Given all this, it’s tempting to see the whole deal as a no-brainer for all involved and assume it progressed rather easily.
Based on interviews with various people who were involved in negotiations, the reality is a bit more complicated. Not only did the deal come together just in the last few days of the winter transfer window, but it also came close to falling apart at several junctures.
Here’s some of what I’ve learned:
