It seems Benny is finished at Derby, but they want equal or higher to what they paid. MLS is calling, but $2Mm transfer fee? might be worth it. He could be their american poster child as Donovan seeks even calmer waters. Of course, it will not be great for his career, confidence or chances to get back to Europe. All told, he must be truly regretting his move from Hamburg. Of course, they were more than willing to sell him on to Derby.
Is he worth $2 million to MLS? From what I've seen he's a pretty good player. His European adventures suggests that we're not seeing the full picture.
I agree with that. The lure of playing soccer beyond the length of his current contract might focus Benny very tightly on what options remain.
I can't see how Benny's value has increased given that he's only made a handful of first team appearances the entire season. Derby are looking to cut their losses here, and are posturing to prevent low-ball first offers. Then they'll refuse the first offer and bite on the second. It's a pretty standard formula. However, as far as MLS is concered, I don't think it'll be the transfer fee that will be an issue, it'll be the wages. MLS has a history of extending very low salary offers to young players who went straight to Europe and then decided to head home. Benny will have a slight advantage as he has some international appearances for the US. But he doesn't have much of a club history to speak of. I can't see him getting anything more than a $100,000 offer. Benny's going to have to really want to come home to take the pay cut here. As far as I'm concerned, a loan makes the most sense. Derby loans Benny to MLS and MLS covers $100k of his salary. They'll want an buyout number (say $3 mill or so) at which MLS can automatically purchase him outright at the end of the loan. Benny gets the playing time that he desparately needs throughout the MLS season, then Derby can get a more polished Benny or $3 mill for the transfer kitty for their promotion push next winter. Derby wins and Benny wins. MLS might not bite though. Unless he goes to LA...
He can't be making that much with Derby. But his sale will go through in the last few days of the window. However, I doubt it will be to MLS.
He could come to MLS, or another Euro club, on loan deal until the summer then Derby could sell him later on it doesn't have to be a permanent deal. BTW, if he comes to MLS is there a draft or lottery for his rights?
well, he's supposed to be up for allocation. The allocation order is in inverse order of standing in the previous season's points table, with expansion SJ getting the first spot. So, it SHOULD be something like 1. San Jose, 2. TFC, 3. RSL....... Number one gets first choice, if they pass, it goes to number 2, etc. If allocation is used, that team drops to last in the list. However, MLS doesn't always follow its own rules, and has done the devil's math in the past to funnel players to LA or NY, even if they shouldn't have gotten a player due to the allocation list.
If he comes to MLS you know somehow LA will wind up with him. As unfair as that would be, it would certainly go a ways into turning them into a decent side. They'll probably find some way to land Jay Jay Okocha and then sign the Anti-Christ to play left mid. That would give them service from both flanks for Donovan and their latest DP, Satan. I hate Alexi Lalas. Off topic, I hope Columbus' DP is Patrick Kluivert. That would be hilarious and the only signing worse than the Denilson thing.
Yup. There were plenty of suitors when he was shopped around last time. He took a gamble going to Derby as many saw them as a team that was really going to struggle this season, and it didn't work out. Benny needs to be playing first-team football somewhere if he expects to be a part of our world cup qualifying campaign (which starts this year). If he came to MLS and played well, he'd be in there. He's a California kid, and San Jose (for example) has plenty of cap room. They could sign Kamani Hill AND Benny Feilhaber. I like it.
He was SOLD from Hamburg to Derby, right? He wasn't out of contract, I'm 99.9% sure. In that case, he can't be transferred outside of England until next summer. Not unless Derby release him, with the attendant payout to Benny. There's a FIFA rule that came in at the same time as the transfer windows were standardized and shrunk that says a player can't be transferred internationally 3 times in a year. I don't see how Benny goes ANYWHERE outside of England. Maybe a loan-with-option would be legal. I dunno.
Am I missing something, or would this be his second transfer in a year, and third club? So does the rule cover the actual transfers, or the number of clubs a player can play for in a year? Because 3 international transfers in a year would mean 4 clubs!
If what you say is true (and I don't know if it is), then a loan to a Colaship club is likely. That might be good for Benny, but obviously not as sexy as playing in Israel. And, the level of competition will be similar.
What MLS Club would honestly pay what Derby is asking? There is no way that Benny Feilhaber is worth what the same money could buy you in South America. Hell, DC was going to sign Juan Sebastian Veron for the same money.
Good point. Feilhaber's stock has gone down not just from his inability to get on the field with Derby, but because of his lackluster play for the USMNT. He'll be loaned to a Milwall-type club, then sold next January to a second-tier team in France, or the lower first division in Holland or the second division in Spain, if he's lucky. He cannot be worth more than $100K to an MLS team, even considering the small-time marketing hype he could create. His reputation as a turnover machine, as I've pointed out for six months, will preclude any serious offer for him. I'm sure Derby would be happy to get half a million pounds ($1-million) back for him, but from whom? If he plays in Israel he'll be in front of 2,000 fans every week. Do the math; they can't pay him more than $100K a year, if that, never mind a transfer fee. Don't be surprised if he slips down to the third division in England on loan. (That would be Division 1.) He might help a team at that level. It's up to him to rebuild his shattered rep. I don't think he can do it. He's a very nice guy, but you cannot regularly give the ball way to the opposition, and that's his downfall.
Cards on the table. I'm a Derby fan with a big interest in the game in the US and I'd love to see Benny doing well for Derby. But.......the bit in the quote that I've boldened. I wish some of the people on the gameday threads would ask themselves what Benny is really worth on the current transfer market.
Some of your assertions here are wrong. Derby has already turned down half a million pounds for him. Maccabi is owned by a gazilionaire who could easily afford Benny and his asking price. I think "shattered rep" is a bit strong. His stock is down, for sure, but anyone who saw him play for the Nats over the summer can easily see the upside. To say that there will be no offers for him is absurd. There have already been offers. The fact that Derby didn't just jump at the first one is testament to, at the very least, what they think his value is.
About six years ago I saw a sign just above the doorway as I left the home changing room at Pride Park. Now, I don't know if it's still there "Jim Smith was gaffer at the time", but if it is maybe Benny "and most of our current first team" should read it. It says " The biggest crime in football is to give the ball to the opposition." Just checked, eight years ago nearly. Time flies.
anyone that follows MLS knows the league isn't going to pay 1 million US just to get Benny back home, christ, if he can't get much time for Derby he may not start for most MLS sides. Loaning him to MLS seems a good idea, but I'd have to believe Derby would prefer to loan him to a CCC or League 1 promotion battler rather than send him to MLS, especially considering Benny would be playing in MLS for the beginning of Derby's CCC campaign next year.
Here is the relevant part of teh FIFA regs. Players may be registered with a maximum of three clubs during one season. During this period, the player is only eligible to play official matches for two clubs. As an exception to this rule, a player moving between two clubs belonging to associations with overlapping seasons (i.e. start of the season in summer/autumn as opposed to winter/spring) may be eligible to play in official matches for a third club during the relevant season, provided he has fully complied with his contractual obligations towards his previous clubs. Equally, the provisions relating to the registration periods (article 6) as well as to the minimum length of a contract (article 18 paragraph 2) must be respected. So I think that since he has only played for Derby this season, he could be transfered and play for another team immediately.
I agree that a loan deal seems liek the best bet. Now... to find a team that's seen enough of him to bite at the loan...