Not in the squad according to SoccerWay. Hopefully gets fit by the weekend http://us.soccerway.com/matches/201...yenne-football-club/1949321/?ICID=HP_MS_52_05
Bedoya could be looking for a step up from Nantes. He's probably not on the level of players at the big clubs in the big European leagues, but clubs the caliber of Everton, Lille, Wolfsburg, Monchengladbach and other clubs of that caliber would be a nice level for Bedoya to play at.
He didn't really dominate at Nantes and the clubs you're mentioning are a huge step up... Bedoya would not be a regular at those clubs... those are clubs that are competing for the CL spots regularly in the best leagues in the world... Nantes is more of a club hoping to not get relegated (despite their surprising success last season)
Nantes was mid-table last season and are one place out of European football in the table this season. If he's going to look for a step up from Nantes, I think it would likely be clubs of that caliber. A step up from mid-table would be contenders for European football.
I don't get it. He's good enough to be a constant starter with them. His wages can't be high. Is he reaching for too much?
Sure, but has he really demonstrated that he is above the level of Nantes where a step-up is wise. While he seems to have demonstrated that he is at Nantes' level, has he shown that a higher level is likely?
That's a big step up and I don't think he is good enough for that level. For someone of Bedoya's level a step up would mean maybe a better league like Germany or England. However, the clubs he might be looking at would probably be more in the mid-bottom of those leagues if you want to be honest. He'd never see the field at a club like Everton or Wolfsburg but maybe at a West Brom, Sunderland (shudder at the thought), Koln, Freidburg etc... Nothing wrong with having confidence and belief in yourself to play at the highest level but there comes a point when you also need perspective and a little reality.
It could be less about the money and more about the assurances from Nantes. The club is in the midst of a 16-month transfer ban and it could be that Ale, despite their success this season, feels the club isn't moving in the right direction. He may not have the confidence the club is willing to improve the squad once the ban is lifted. Who knows if that's the case of not but it seems logical. I don't think he'd be reaching too much if he does indeed purue other opportunities. Bedoya has been very smart and calculated with his career moves. I have no doubt that he will make the best decision for his career. Other YA's should take notice of how he's handled and progressed in his career. Bedoya has seemingly done everything right. It wouldn't surprise me in the least to see him move to a fairly decent club, one that consistently fights for a European spot, in a top 7 league. Bedoya is very underrated and his bosses/clubs have often pointed that out.
No need to worry about that from Bedoya. As I said in my previous post Bedoya has been very smart and calculated in his career moves. He stepped up from Orebro to Rangers and when the financial debacle at Rangers imploded and he didn't receive the offers he wanted, he took not one but two short-term deals at Helsingborgs. He didn't necessarily take a step back per se but did put himself in a position to succeed. There was a map he and his agent laid out and he took the smart path. That success at Helsingborgs parlayed interest, IIRC, from Germany, Portugal, France, and Russia. Bedoya has seemingly has done everything right. I think Bedoya has an amazing perspective on his abilities and where it has taken him and where it will take him in the future. Of our outfield players in Europe Bedoya probably has the best sense of reality of where he stands in the football world.
Its to be seen. I've seen him play a few times with Nantes over the past two seasons, and he's looked pretty good. Looked like one of their better and more influential players. Does that mean he's good enough to take a step up from Nantes? I guess we'll see, but it wouldn't surprise me.
I think people sometimes make too much of the league rankings when deciding an appropriate level for a player. For instance, I think its likely that if Nantes and Sunderland were to play a game on a neutral field, I think Nantes wins. When Altidore left Sunderland, I said that AZ Alkmaar was a better team than Sunderland and even now if you were to set up a game between the two teams, I think AZ Alkmaar wins. There is no doubt that where these leagues rank matters, but I don't think there is any clear set of guidelines to follow for players moving from league to league. A Europa League level club could very well be the appropriate next step for Bedoya.
Oh I don't disagree, that was more to the suggestion that he should be making the step to Everton and Wolfsburg like it's the logical and obvious step when the truth is he isn't that level. More of a statement on fan perspective.
I'm looking at things from a realistic point of view, jumping from Nantes to a team that could finish in the Europa league spot in France isn't the same as a team fighting for the same spot in England. You're basically saying all Europa league teams are created equal. Sunderland right now can get a higher standard and costing player than most teams in France outside of the top few clubs...because of exposure, salary and prestige of the league. Now how those players gel and mesh on the field are a different matter. What I'm saying is if he wants to see the field the, Sunderlands and Freidburgs are the way he's going to do it. It's not happening at the clubs you listed earlier. A step up from a (some may say fluke) mid table team in Nantes may be Euro league in France but it isn't Euro league in Germany or England...unless he was dominating at Nantes which is far from the case. This is all hypothetical of course, dealing with your comment of him making a jump to a higher level team.
Hard to know what the situation really is. Nantes is a solid club in a solid league. Bedoya hasn't shown he's better than the level he's at right now. His agent could just be fishing for a bigger payday. Whatever the case, Mr. Bedoya will have to weigh the pros and cons of a new start at a new club in potentially a new country vs the wages of an average Ligue one field player.
I think it's a lot to do with the fact that he turns 28 in April. Having completed college, he started his playing career at 22 and has never played for a big paying club (I'd be very pleasantly surprised if he's on $350k). The next deal and any other deals he signs over the next three-to-four years will determine a) whether he can retire at 35 or is obliged to keep playing until 38, and b) his standard of living from retirement until 65 or whatever the retirement age will be in the 2050s. Nantes are a pretty big club in French terms, but they've spent much of the last decade yo-yoing between D1 and D2, and the transfer embargo has hit their development prospects - footballing and sponsorship - pretty hard. Their contract offers will probably have shrunk accordingly. They're not the long-term play they would have seemed when he joined them. * I could see the likes of Lille or Bordeaux working, but Wolfsburg, Monchengladbach or Everton are way out of reach. Bedoya is a good player, evidently much appreciated by his coaches, but the jump in standard from top-6 in Ligue 1 to even mid-table BL1 is huge. As for England, let's just his chances of a WP aren't high these days. *Yes, Nantes are 5th in Ligue 1, but their tight defence is undermined by a toothless attack (played 11, scored 10 and conceded 7) and teams like that are eventually overhauled by teams with stronger forward lines.
I agree entirely with your assessment except the part about him being underrated. I think the WC this past summer and his play with the Nats and Nantes this last year has shown his relative value. He's a serviceable international, smart and hard-working but not an irreplaceable part.
One thing to remember is that MLS is buying returning Yanks so Euro clubs are hoping their Yank is worth his weight in gold to MLS........
Going forward I'd hope Bedoya is serving as a solid Utility MF coming off the bench for the USMNT. Like you said, hard-working, smart, serviceable... he's a solid player, but also limited ability wise.
Wouldn't Bedoya automatically qualify for a work permit? I figure he's got to be close to the required 75% of competitive fixtures for the US over the last two years. I could be wrong though, I can't really remember when exactly it was that Klinsmann really started viewing Bedoya as a first team fixture with the national team.
Well, I did say Lille as one of the teams that maybe could look at him. Didn't Seltzer say or at least hint at Marseille having interest before the World Cup?
He might decide to do so, but it wouldn't be for purely financial reasons. He's not got the profile that returning MNT players who MLS pushed the boat out for have.
I think if he did it would be purely for financial reasons, he is almost 28 which means his next pay raise may be his biggest bump he is going to get.
Don't think an MLS club would pay big money for Bedoya (nor should they) - I don't think he would break the 1m mark - he just doesn't have that big of an impact on the game (IMO) It's a free market though.. I guess its possible.