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January Rumor Mill Wrapup

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Following up our December rumor mill wrap up is an even crazier month. Players have been linked to, unlinked from and in some cases transferred to NYCFC this month. Once again we’ve complied the latest players linked to NYCFC for you all on one page.

Yangel Herrera

Herrera has been linked to CFG. (Photo via Atl. Venezuela

Herrera is the latest name to be linked to NYCFC, though that link is tenuous at best. Herrera is a 19 year old central defensive midfield who plays for Atlético Venezuela and the Venezuelan national team.

Atlético Venezuela have confirmed there is an offer for the youngster from City Football Group, however no specific team was mentioned. CFG have a controlling stake in Manchester City, New York City and Melbourne City. While he is unlikely to play for Manchester City due to his age and visa requirements it would not be out of the realm of possibility for him to be loaned to another club. With the transfer window shutting in many European countries today, it would appear more and more likely that a European loan is not the case for him. When asked about Herrera, Vieira declined to comment in a conference call with reporters.

Analysis: If Herrera is signed by CFG as multiple sources have reported, it doesn’t mean NYCFC is the end goal, however given NYCFC’s lack of a clear defensive midfielder at the moment it’s not out of the realm of possibility.

Lebogang Phiri

Tipsbladet reported NYCFC had their bid for 22 year old South African midfielder Lebogang Phiri rejected by his club today. Danish club Brøndby IF are said to have rejected NYCFC’s offer for the young midfielder according to the player’s agent. Phiri has just a few more months left on his contract and it is reported that Patrick Vieira was impressed by his play while in Denmark over the off season.

Analysis: It would not be surprising to see NYCFC try to make a new offer prior to the season, or simply waiting until they can sign him on a free transfer this summer.

Ebenezer Ofori

Earlier this month we brought you a report from Ghana that claimed both LA Galaxy and NYCFC had made an offer for the exciting Ghanaian midfielder. There had also been rumors circulating social media that he was close to a move to either Rangers or NYCFC. Everyone seems to have got it wrong as German side VfB Stuttgart announced they had acquired Ofori today.

Analysis: Ofori would have been an exciting player to watch and would have filled a need in central midfield. It will be interesting to see if this is a player NYCFC will regret not signing when they had the chance.

Alexander Ring

Earlier this week we brought you the news that Finnish midfielder Alexander Ring was on his way to NYCFC according to multiple reports. Yesterday Finnish sources reported that he would join NYCFC by today.

Analysis: Ring can play anywhere in midfield but seems to be most comfortable on the right side. His flexibility will give Vieira options throughout the game. Perhaps he can be what Mix Diskerud failed to be for Vieira. The deal is 99% done.

Sami Khedira

Calcio Mercato reported back in November that NYCFC was interested in Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira. Further reports citing NYCFC interest came out in mid January.

Patrick Vieira ended transfer speculation (for now) when he told reporters on January 26th that Khedira isn’t one of NYCFC’s targets and he has no interest in leaving Juventus.

Analysis: How would Vieira know he has no interest in leaving Juventus if they didn’t ask? Keep an eye out this summer.

 

Alexander Callens

Callens was reported as on his way to NYCFC a week ago. The deal moved quickly once the news broke, with Vieira announcing that the club was in fact negotiating a deal with the player. The deal was announced on January 27th.

Analysis: Signed, sealed and delivered. He will compete for a starting center back role with Chanot and Brillant.

Jeppe Andersen

NYCFC have reportedly been eyeing Danish midfielder Jeppe Andersen for quite a while. However the latest news from Denmark claims that there have been no official offers yet as the player believes his injury history is scaring teams away.

According to a source familiar with the situation, NYCFC were interested in him previously but have cooled off since.

Analysis: Any move is likely dead in the water until he shows he can play at a top level again. Claudio Reyna doesn’t want another injury prone European midfielder.

Harold Cummings

Glenn Crooks broke the news that Harold Cummings was being pursued by NYCFC but said the club would either sign him or Camargo.

A week later San Jose announced they had signed the Panamanian defender.

Analysis: NYCFC needed to, and eventually found defensive help elsewhere.

Miguel Camargo

(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Technically the news broke last year that Camargo was on his way to NYCFC however issues with his visa slowed down the official announcement. Camargo’s loan deal to NYCFC was officially announced on January 11th. 

Analysis: Signed, sealed and delivered. Camargo will fight for minutes in NYCFC’s crowded midfield and vie to replace Frank Lampard for Patrick Vieira.

Shawn Parker

According to @MLStransfers NYCFC had shown interest in the 23 year old German-American forward.

Parker is currently on loan at Nuremberg from FC Augsburg and has played his entire career in Germany, however his father is a US citizen and both Thomas Rongen and Jurgen Klinsmann have approached him in the past about playing for the USMNT.

Analysis: With Villa getting older it’s no shock to see them looking for his replacement. We’ll likely follow up in the summer to see if anything has changed.

Keagan Dolly

Kegan Dolly is a name we’ve been high on for several reasons and CFG seemed to agree with that assessment. An email which was leaked by the players agent suggested CFG wanted to sign Dolly for NYCFC. The reports were confirmed by several sources close to the player, however his agent rejected a possible move to MLS saying it was on par with the South African league, claiming they were going to sign with a European club.

Last week Montpellier announced they had signed Dolly.

Analysis: The interest was there, but unfortunately for NYCFC, Dolly (and/or his agent) had their eyes set on Europe. Jonathan Lewis’ addition in the draft should easy any lost sleep over missing out on Dolly.

Yaya Toure

Mancby alejandrorzurihester City midfielder Yaya Toure told Sports Illustrated’s Ryan Wallerson that he would join NYCFC if he was asked to in 2015. Toure however seems to have had a change of heart. The Telegraph reported that if Toure is let go from Manchester City, he would look for another team in the premier league.

Analysis: A soon to be 34 year old central midfielder joining Pirlo wouldn’t have been the most dynamic midfield in MLS and goes against the youth movement NYCFC seem to be undergoing.

Alejandro Bernal

According to the man himself, Bernal has an offer from both New York area clubs. NYCFC and the Red Bulls have allegedly made the 28 year old Colombian defensive midfielder a contract offer. Bernal has been playing with Atlético Nacional for the last 5 years and has never played for a team outside of Colombia.

Analysis: Given NYCFC’s track record with South American defending players: Jefferson Mena, Diego Martinez, Javier Calle and Andres Mendoza, I’d wait before getting too excited about this move.

Another month gone by, another bunch of names we’ve seen come into and disappear from our lives. As always, we’ll continue to bring you the latest in NYCFC news.

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