Slightly more detail in this article from ESPN... no names but the same EPL team has reportedly put in multiple offers for him.
I think Long would have a pretty good case to win a UK work permit on an appeal. He reigning MLS defender of the year & just started for the #USMNT in the final & semi’s of the regional championship. It’s only a matter of time before he automatically qualifies https://t.co/FWKhp6Lzr9— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) July 18, 2019
I don't know about rebuffing the offers and then turning off the phone (maybe it's playing hardball), but if MLS teams in the thick of a playoff race sell players midseason they solidify the league as Mickey Mouse. So nobody should be surprised or ironically think it's a bad thing NJ didn't in this case. It's not a problem until they do it during winter. That's when they moved Adams. They haven't earned a rep as a club restrictive of player movement.
Agree with this... The guy is the reigning MLS defensive player of the year and just signed a new contract six months ago. RBNY's job is to win games, not develop players for Gregg Berhalter.
No inside info here (ON THIS) but speaking generally, an sale with a loan-back until the end of the RBNY season might make sense for everyone. That is if the offer is right. But I agree. RBNY needs to really win an MLS Cup one of these days. That organization has sold a ton of players to Europe dating back to the Metrostars but they haven't won the Cup. If they sell Long right now, that essentially ends their hopes of MLS Cup this year.
Leipzig doesn't need him, and I doubt he's itching for a move to Salzburg. This makes the most sense for a dozen different reasons.
Since there were rumors of big league interest before he signed that NYRB extension presumably Long and NYRB have some sort of understanding when it comes to a move abroad. Who knows though maybe they don’t.
Nothing worse for a team when "transfer fever" gets to a player. They get stars in their eyes and become almost a detriment to their current team. It's a shame that a richer club can almost force you to sell a player by making him worthless to his current team unless you let him go.
I can see how the ability of a player to play for a team that he prefers to play for would be anathema to owners even though it makes him like pretty much every other American worker.
Look man, if you want to come watch Seattle play in Chicago when it's 7 degrees out with a 30 mph wind in February, be my guest. I will be firmly planted indoors, avoiding frostbite. And if someone wants to copy/paste the list of the dozens of other leagues that run spring-to-fall, that would be great.
Wouldn't be an issue if the U.S. had the same climate as Europe. And of course the Nordic countries have a different schedule than the rest of Europe. So does much of the Americas. Not to mention MLS has to compete with 4 other sports where their country is king. Everyone adapts to the unique circumstances of their nation to produce the best product that has the most eyes on it.
Didn’t mean to push that particular button lol. I understand all of that and am not trying to have the larger debate I don’t actually care about and I’m totally fine with the MLS schedule, etc. I’m here in the Aaron Long thread, simply pointing out the fact that this is a particular circumstance, where that particular reality of the MLS schedule not aligning with *most of the rest of the world* affects Aaron Long specifically. The same way that pointing out NYRB needs him affects things. That’s it.
Spoke to Aaron Long at #RBNY training about transfer rumors to England: "It would be a dream come true to go play in that league. But it has nothing to do with me. It’s two clubs, whatever two clubs it is, coming to an agreement and I don't really have a say in that matter."— Dylan Butler (@Dylan_Butler) July 19, 2019
Apparently Greg Seltzer is still alive? He gives a few details on the situation here: http://www.noshortcorners.com/2019/07/the-long-game.html
Unless there are pending departures among their CBs, Long would probably be the #4 CB, behind Balbuena, Diop, and Ogbonna. Not to mention Winston Reid if he can recover from his long-term injury.