The only way he stays is if we have enough TAM/GAM to pay for him, because no way in hell Andi uses any of his wife's money to sign him. #TAM/GAM
Paunovic is such a dick! “We still have time to decide and we still haven’t decided,” Paunovic told MLSsoccer.com. “So that means that we expect that he can continue with his good performances and literally until the last minute, while we have time, we will make the decision. It’s still not done yet.” Paunovic, if you haven't decided yet, the only reason for the indecision had better be that you have someone much, much better (Honda) lined up for his slot. He has been the best offensive player for the Fire this season and it really has not been close. His skill and his energy exceeds any other player on the Fire not named Bastian. Aleksander Katai is not the problem on the Fire. Here is another reason to keep him, he ACTUALLY wants to be here: But Katai, whose wife already had several family members living in Chicago before their move in February, is keen to extend his time in a city he has grown to love. “I like it too much here, I like the US generally, you know,” Katai said. “Chicago is a very nice city, I have family here so it’s very good for me and I am very, very happy here.” Dax McCarty for Chicago Fire coach. He sees things that Paunovic clearly cannot: "It’s easy for everyone to see that Katai is one of our more dangerous players in the attack, if not our most dangerous player in the attack,” McCarty said. “When we lost David Accam, Katai was a guy that was brought in to replace that production and that danger. It took him a while to get going and now I think you’re starting to see the best of him and how dangerous he can be. He can play on either flank, he’s very good with the ball, he’s very technical. It should come as no surprise. You don’t earn a contract in Spain if you aren’t a good player.” “So, selfishly, as a guy who appreciates good attacking talent, I would love for him to stay and to keep him,” McCarty added. “All I can say is that he makes us a better team in the attacking third and there’s no question about that.” https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2018...aleksandar-katai-makes-case-stay-chicago-fire These quotes support basically everything that I have been saying about Paunovic on the Career Deathwatch Thread, coming from the mouths of Paunovic himself and McCarty. https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/veljko-paunovic-career-deathwatch.2026783/
Hope I'm wrong but I just don't see how they pony up a transfer fee to keep him here. He will be gone by the end of the month and N-Rod will spout something along the lines of "it didn't make sense to keep him when de Leeuw and Milhailovic are coming back......trust the process you little shits".
They don't have to sign Katai, but we know they won't sign up anyone as good if he was to leave ... so they really need to keep Katai
He won’t be kept because there are zero expectations to win a title from the top down. that is what the process is. Spout nonsensical BS, make a token playoff appearance here and there without consequence.
The fact that this is getting press on the mothership makes me raise the likelihood of resigning him from 2% to 7%. I think it also raises the likelihood of us signing a replacement for him if he does leave from 7% to 12%. You better believe NRod is begging the league for some help like he had with Basti. If I'm NRod and I'm not planning on re-signing Katai, this article pisses me off big time. More likely there's some collusion between MLS and NRod.
you know the joke going around- "joke" in quotes- that if anyone wants to get message to trump, they need to have "fox and friends" say something about it on their show? when i read this, i felt like it was the league trying to get a message through the thick skulls of the fire front office.
I disagree about the article pissing off Rodriguez. McCarty's comments might piss him off. "How dare McCarty say that everyone can see Katai is our best offensive player, when Paunovic clearly just stated that Katai is not producing enough. The nerve of that nobody, peon McCarty [team captain]!" Katai's own comments were probably "shocking" to Rodriguez. Sure, Rodriguez says, "everyone wants to play in Chicago," but he meant players like Alan f'n Gordon (who have no other option), not "high priced" players like Katai. Paunovic's comments are the exact company line. They are setting the stage for the "soul mates" to dump Katai, with the nonsense, "He simply did not provide enough production to justify signing him long term." As @moleman said, "The writing is on the wall" and they are setting up Katai to be dumped. It will be an absolute shame, without someone better in the wings (ha!).
If it was the first time with this kind of thing happening we might fooled but this has been an ongoing pattern for a decade. We're not fooled NRod. The angry bears are angrier than ever before. Schweinsteiger alone isn't going to save attendance (this appears the worst ever for a season at Toyota Park by my observing with my own eyes) or the team's performance (needs a supporting cast).
Katai is 27 , pretty damn good by MLS standards , and his wife has family in Chicago. His European stock has fallen and his career overseas will see him club hopping for the rest of his career.... Or if he sticks he will likely be playing in some backwater. Katai can be a cornerstone for this team for a good 3-4 years. This situation just doesn't fall in your lap regular. Except... In the fire's 20 year history IT actually does...and the club sure seems to screw it up regularly when it does. Niko and Katai need to be put on lock down
Exactly. Imagine what this team could be if we actually allowed are lower DPs to gain some familiarity, etc.
I'm not - that just makes us a 15th place team with a different winger. You can't improve your roster by replacing good starters with other good starters.