With Frank Lampard’s departure and Andoni Iraola’s retirement, New York City FC have two rather substantial holes to fill in midfield. Patrick Vieira will need to replace Lampard’s goals and Iraola’s ability to control midfield either with new additions or with increased contributions from players he has on his roster.
Claudio Reyna is believed to want to sign a younger designated player to use Frank Lampard’s designated player spot which is a departure from the club’s brief history of signing European stars in the twilight of their career. Here is where the fun begins, we can begin to speculate what type of player fits into the system. Reyna himself has said in the past that he wants to build his club up the middle, forming a spine of the team. His thought process helps us understand why NYCFC’s highest paid players were a striker and three central midfielders in Villa, Pirlo, Lampard and Diskerud. Keeping Reyna’s comments in mind, one can assume he will focus on signing another central midfielder, both to replace Frank Lampard and to give Vieira more options in midfield.
There are many players available for NYCFC to sign, between the limitless amount they can spend on a designated player and the sheer vastness of the global talent pool, the only real limit is CFG’s willingness to spend. We have already seen NYC bring in players from lesser known leagues in Costa Rica, Colombia and even India, so in order for us to evaluate their options the search has to truly be global. Keeping with NYC’s global scouting reach, we will be looking at players currently plying their trade in South Africa, England, Norway, Mexico, Germany, France, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Italy, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, Honduras, Chile, The Netherlands, Russia, as well as several Free Agents.
The following list is by no means comprehensive, and is merely a suggestion of names and types of players Claudio Reyna and his team should be scouting. The focus of the search was to find players that fit the following categories: being on the right side of 30, the ability fit in well to Vieira’s 4-3-3 or 5-3-2 system, someone with excellent passing abilities and most importantly, someone without injury concerns. While CFG could spend $30 million, one assumes they will try to sign a player on a free transfer or a minimal transfer fee so we have to look for players with expiring contracts, players who surplus to requirements, or players who are undervalued.
(The player price valuation and contract length are all sourced from Transfermarkt)
The first group of players fall into either the central forward or winger category. In this scenario Patrick Vieira would be able to move either Jack Harrison or Tommy McNamara to their more natural midfield positions giving the team a much younger and dynamic midfield.
Keagan Dolly
LW/CAM/RW (Mamelodi Sundowns) h/t @NYCFCstatline
Contract length unknown
Positives
23 years old and no injury history
Has incredible pace
Can shoot from distance
Captain of South African Olympic squad
Negatives
Relies on his left foot too much
May not win physical battles at 5’7″
There is interest from La Liga clubs which could drive up price
Jurgen Damm
RW/LW (Tigres) 4 mil
Contract through summer of 2020
Positives
24 years old
Excellent pace
Great first touch
Good passing & vision
Fighting for minutes
Negatives
Not a real goal scoring threat
A long time left on contract, no need for Tigres to sell
Bjorn Mars Johnson
CF (Hearts of Midlothian FC) 450k
Contract through summer of 2019
Positives
25 years old
Low wages (would not be a DP)
American (no international spot needed)
Great in the air
Great pace
Similar player to Shelton, can help push each other
Source close to player says MLS is on the radar
Negatives
Seems to have hit a plateau, not much room for improvement
Happy in Europe and getting good playing time
Hearts is doing well, no urgency to sell
Ibrahim Affellay
(Stoke City) 5mil
Contract through summer of 2017
Positives
30 years old
Comfortable in a 4-3-3
Great technique, could help teach younger players
Great passing and first touch
Could be had on a free transfer this summer
Negatives
Coming off a severe knee injury
Past injuries are a concern
Never lived up to expected potential
Jay Rodriguez
LW/CF (Southampton) 13 mil
Contract through summer of 2019
Positives
27 Years old
No longer has a starting spot
Has expressed interest in a loan or transfer
Plays well in a high press system when motivated
Negatives
Not the best defensive work rate
Missed several months over last 3 years with injuries
May not want to leave England/Europe
Southampton want a loan with a £2 million fee instead of a sale
Joshua Gatt
RM/LM (Molde) 300k
Contract length unknown
Positives
25 years old
American (no international spot needed)
Super fast & great agility
Negatives
Concerning injury history
Has not show interest in leaving Europe
Joseph-Claude Gyau
LW/RM (Borussia Dortmund 2) 100k
Contract through summer 2017
Positives
24 years old
American (no international spot needed)
Could be had on non-DP wages and free this summer
Great pace and ability on the ball
Negatives
Coming back from several knee injuries
Has shown interest in staying in Europe
Likely still several months away from full fitness
May want to stay at club who renewed his contract through injury
Paul-Georges Ntep
LM/LW (Stade Rennais) 10 mil
Contract through 2017
Positives
24 Years old
Club is willing to sell him before his contract ends
Blistering pace & great ability on the ball
Decent first touch
Negatives
Hasn’t played outside of France before
Has interest from several large European clubs
Would be a large transfer fee
Andre Claro ST/LW
(Vitoria Setubal) 1.75 mil
Contract through 2017
Positives
25 years old
Can play anywhere up front
Puts himself in excellent positions to score & poach goals
Negatives
Passing could use work
Hasn’t played outside of Portugal before
Key contributor to team, which may not want to lose him
Federico Macheda
ST/LW/RW (Free agent)
Not under contract
Positives
25 years old
Can play anywhere up front
No injury concerns
No transfer fee needed
Could be signed as a non-DP with allocation money
Negatives
A reclamation project that never lived up to expectations
Still has interest from smaller European sides
Has only been average throughout his journeyman career
Samir Nasri
LW/RW (Sevilla on loan from MCFC) 18 mil
Contract through summer 2017
Positives
29 years old
Excellent passing and dribbiling ability
Has expressed interest in moving to MLS
Under contract with a CFG side already & could be a free transfer this summer
No longer part of national team, so that isn’t a concern for Nasri
Negatives
Doing well at Sevilla who may look to buy him
MCFC may want to sell him to recoup their losses
Relationship between Nasri and CFG may be complicated
Arjen Robben
RW/CF (Bayern Munich) 11 mil
Contract through summer 2017
Positives
Can play anywhere up front
Still has excellent pace
Great passing and comfortable on the ball
Could be available on a free transfer this summer
Negatives
32 years old
Growing list of injuries
Overwhelmingly favors his left foot
May want to stay in Europe to stay in national team picture
Fernando Torres
ST (Atletico Madrid) 10 mil
Contract through summer 2017
Positives
A move guarantees him more playing time
Short injury list
Good dribbling and passing abilities
Familiarity with Villa, and could be eventual replacement
Available on a free transfer this summer, might be open to January move
Negatives
Declining goal scoring production
32 years old
Allegedly has large offers from Chinese league
Klass-Jan Huntelaar
CF/ST (FC Schalke 04) 4.5 mil
Contract through summer 2017 (plus a 1 year option)
Positives
Would be instant additional goal scoring threat
Can still play a full 90
Available on a free transfer this summer
His pace has fallen off considerably
Negatives
33 years old
Coming off a serious injury with history of knee injuries
Has fallen off in terms of his talent
Would likely be here for only 1-2 years
The next group of players are attacking midfielders in the mold of Kevin De Bruyne, players who can score and create scoring opportunities through creative play. In this scenario Patrick Vieira is happy with his current complement of forwards and he directly replaces Lampard’s goal scoring ability from midfield.
Remy Cabella
CAM (Bordeaux) 8 mil
Contract through summer of 2020
Positives
26 years old
Can play on the wings as well
Can speak English and has played abroad before
No longer a first choice starter
Negatives
Just joined Bordeaux this summer so they’re unlikely to want to sell him yet
Defensively poor at times
Not a prolific goal scorer
Still has 3 1/2 years left on his contract
Mehmet Ekici
CAM (Trabzonspor) 6.75 mil
Contract through summer of 2017
Positives
26 years old
Great passing ability
Penchant for scoring
His technique is great, came up through Bayern’s academy
Excellent at free kicks
Negatives
Defensive lapses at times
Has become a key player, Trabzonspor may not want to sell
Keisuke Honda
CAM/RM (AC Milan) 7 mil
Contract through summer 2017
Positives
30 years old but still playing at a high level
No longer starting, fighting for minutes
Has business interests in the US & has expressed desire to move to MLS
Could likely be available this January
Minimal injury history
Excellent passing & dribbling ability, can open up the midfield
Negatives
Hasn’t played much recently so fitness is a concern
Would like to still play Champions League football
Lucas Lima
CAM (Santos) 9 mil
Contract through summer of 2017
Positives
26 years old
Great pace & great touch
Can be had cheaply this January
Great work rate defensively
Negatives
12 Caps for Brazil make him a hotter commodity
First touch passing could be improved
Tries to do too much at times
Has stated he wants to go to Europe in the past
Nicolas de la Cruz
CAM (Liverpool FC Motevideo) 650k
Contract length unknown
Positives
19 years old
Immense goal scoring threat, even from range
Explosive on the ball with great technical ability
May be able to sign as a non-DP
Negatives
Has never played outside of Uruguay before
Has said he’s in no rush to leave his club, will wait for right offer
Important player for his club, will take a good offer to pry him away
Still a raw talent
Mathieu Valbuena
CAM (OL) 3.5 mil
Contract through summer of 2018
Positives
Comfortable in a 4-3-3
Can play on the wing as well
Fighting for playing time
Very little missed time due to injuries
Negatives
51 caps for France, may want to play for them again despite no call up in 2016
32 years old
Omar Abdulrahman
CAM (Al-Ain FC)
Contract through February 2018 (essentially one year left)
Positives
25 years old
Can play on the wings
Has ridiculous skill on the ball
Great touch & technical ability
Excellent place
Negatives
Not too strong, can be muscled off the ball
Has never played outside of the UAE
Club may hesitate to pay DP wages to another relatively unproved foreign midfielders
Salomon Kalou
CF/CAM (Hertha Berlin) 5 mil
Contract through summer of 2017
Positives
Can play as a second striker with Villa or allow him to move to the wing
Speaks English
Relatively healthy
Does better than Villa at holding up the ball
Can be had on a free transfer this summer
Negatives
31 years old
Hasn’t been playing 90 minutes lately
Has lost his pace
Isco
CAM
(Real Madrid) 35 mil
Contract through summer of 2018
Positives
24 years old
Has been losing playing time
Already been linked with moves away from Real Madrid
Excellent vision, great touch, fantastic space
Negatives
Probably most unrealistic name on this list
Would be the biggest transfer fee in MLS history
Unlikely to want to move to MLS as he’s still in demand in Europe
A long term target of MCFC, so more realistic he goes there
The next category of players to look at are just straight forward central midfielders. These players are unlikely to score bags of goals, however they are crucial at spreading the ball out from the back. Central midfielders like these are crucial for NYCFC in a post-Pirlo world.
Leon Gortezka
(Schalke 04) 15 mil
Contract through summer of 2018
Positives
21 years old
Great passing
Great touch
Experience in big matches
Negatives
Regular starter who Schalke will not want to lose
Not too creative
Will likely come with a large price tag
Clement Grenier
CM (Olympique Lyonnais) 4.5 mil
Contract through summer of 2018
Positives
25 years old
Not getting playing time for Lyon
Negatives
Long injury history & coming off recent injury
Has never played outside of France
Fausto Rossi
CM (Free Agent)
Not under contract
Positives
25 years old
Excellent fundamentals
Can play box to box but is comfortable in attack as well
Has been linked to MLS in the past
Negatives
Has allegedly been on trial with Sporting KC recently
Has been out of contract since summer so fitness is a question mark
Thomas Bruns
CM (Heracles Almelo) 2.5 mil
Contract through summer of 2017
Positives
24 years old
Can play on either side of the field
Good first touch and ability on the ball
Excellent shot power
Negatives
Hasn’t played outside of the Netherlands before
Team captain, Heracles would be reluctant to give him up
Has a propensity to pick up cards
Oscar Salas
(Club Deportivo Olympia)
Contract length unknown
Positives
22 years old
Might welcome a move to a more prestigious league
Low wages mean he could be signed as a non-DP
Great first touch
Shows promise, already capped by senior national and olympic team
Negatives
Hasn’t played outside of Honduras before
May have caught foreign attention with Olympic performance
Unsure of quality of Honduran league
Luka Milivojevic
CM (Olympiacos) 7 mil
Contract through summer of 2019
Positives
25 years old
Very strong on the ball
Good passing ability
Tactically intelligent
Negatives
Tends to lose his mark at times
Never played outside of Europe
Interest from other European sides to sign him
Cesc Fabregas
CM (Chelsea) 45 mil
Contract through summer of 2019
Positives
29 years old
Has been deemed surplus to requirements by Anotnio Conte
Speaks English & has played abroad before
Has already been left out of national team squad, so no concerns of missing out
Negatives
Would be ridiculously expensive
Still wants to play in the Champions League
Chelsea unlikely to let him leave this January
Still has interest from other European clubs
Santi Cazorla
CM (Arsenal) 20 mil
Contract through summer 2017
Positives
31 years old but shows no signs of slowing down
Could join on a free transfer next summer
Still a key contributor playing on a high level
Great first touch and skill
Arsenal are unlikely to give him a long term contract
Excellent passing ability fits in well with Vieira’s system
Negatives
Injury history is troubling
Has never shown interest in leaving Europe
The final group of midfielders we will look at would be replacements for Andoni Iraola (and possibly Federico Bravo). Central holding midfielders who can play box to box and provide cover for Andrea Pirlo. In this scenario Patrick Vieira sees controlling the midfield as the priority and is comfortable with his options elsewhere in midfield and in the attack.
Ruben Neves
CDM (Porto) 11 mil
Contract through summer of 2019
Positives
19 years old
Fighting for minutes
Strong on the ball
Excellent work rate
Comfortable on the ball and in distribution
Negatives
Passing is a bit poor
Has a €45 million release clause and Porto don’t want to sell him.
Has never played outside of Portugal
Haris Belkebla
CM/CDM (FC Tours) 800k
Contract through summer of 2018
Positives
22 years old
Might welcome a move from Ligue 2 Tours who could be relegated again
Low wages means he can be acquired as a non-DP
Established starter
Smart in tackling so he doesn’t pick up too many yellow cards
Negatives
First touch isn’t great
Hasn’t played outside of France before
Pablo Galdames
CM/RB (Union Española) 500k
Contract through summer of 2017
Positives
19 years old
Can play in midfield or as a RB (a reverse Iraola)
Good positioning and vision
Excellent first touch
Could be acquired as a non-DP
Uses his body well in one on one battles
Negatives
Undersized for a CDM
Hasn’t played outside of Chile before
John Obi Mikel
CDM (Chelsea) 11 mil
Contract through summer of 2017
Positives
29 years old
Doesn’t figure into Chelsea’s plans who are willing to part with him
Minimal injury history
Strong on the ball
Good passing ability
Negatives
Hasn’t played for his club in months, fitness is a concern
His pace is severely lacking
Tends to drift out of position at times
Simão Mate
CDM (Free agent)
Not under contract
Positives
28 years old
No transfer fee needed
Could be signed as a non-DP with allocation money
Comfortable playing in different countries
Strong on the ball and solid in defense
Good positioning and vision
Negatives
First touch is poor
Has interest from La Liga sides
Yann M’Villa
CDM (Rubin Kazan) 7 mil
Contract expires at end of 2017
Positives
26 years old
Can be signed for free this January
Speaks English and French
Wants a move away from his current club
Minimal injury history
Negatives
Wanted by English clubs who are willing to overpay
Yaya Toure
CM/CDM (Manchester City) 12 mil
Contract through summer 2017
Positives
Commanding presence in midfield
Great passing
Could be had on a free transfer this summer
Already under contract with CFG
Negatives
33 years old
Likely to miss most of January/February with AFCON
Defending has slipped and pace has fallen off
Recent injury history is alarming, missed 12 matches last year
Cole Grossman
CDM (Stabæk) 500k
Contract expires at end of 2017
Positives
27 years old
American (no international spot needed)
Has MLS experience
Key contributor
Minimal injury history
Could likely be signed as a non-DP
Negatives
Likely interest from other MLS sides
Not a world beater by any means
Shawn Barry
RM/RW/CB (FSV Frankfurt) 350k
Contract through summer 2018
Positives
26 years old
American (no international roster spot needed)
Can play anywhere on the right side of the field
Great speed and strong on the ball
Excellent crossing ability
Can be signed as a non-DP
Negatives
Has played in Europe since college, may not want to return
First touch could use work
There are many other names out there that I intentionally excluded, players like: Fernandinho and Franck Ribery who are getting extensions. If Pep Guardiola doesn’t want Vincent Kompany I doubt Patrick Vieira would be interested. There’s plenty of other players who are out there who could be signed, Bruno Perrone for example trained with NYCFC last season and with Wilmington ceasing operations for a year, finds himself without a club.
Should Vieira and company not want to search the depths of the USL or mid table Portuguese sides for talent there are plenty of serviceable players who are currently free agents who might be willing to take a paycut to kick start their careers in MLS. 29 year old Martin Caceres could easily be one of the best center backs in MLS should he sign and play a majority of games. 32 year old forward Emmanuel Adebayor has bounced around England and finds himself without a club, though his personality will scare away some suitors.
There are still some relatively well known names out there looking for a club and perhaps one last chance at glory: Michael Essien, Raul Meireles, Jefferson Farfan, Jô, Ronaldinho, Dimitar Berbatov, Felipe Santana, Philippe Mexes, the list goes on. While these players certainly wouldn’t be a step in the direction of youth over aging European stars, they could do well in a squad role for a club with several young players that has lost some veterans. Julio Baptista has proved to be a great signing for Orlando City despite his age, coming off the bench and helping provide a spark of energy. If any of those players are willing to sign for non-DP wages then Vieira should do his best to try and find a spot for them.
At the end of this rather long look at available talent, we realize there are dozens of players who are young, healthy, and could be realistically signed by NYCFC (minus Isco). 2017 will be a telling year for NYC as we will find out how much CFG is willing to invest on a DP. Given that CFG have yet to pay a transfer fee for a designated player, one may question their commitment to signing the best available talent, but as we’ve seen in MLS you don’t need the best of the best to win games.
Do any of these names sound like a good signing? Do you have another name? Leave your suggestions in the comments below.
JASON says
YOU GUYS ARE DREAMING