Parks and recreation in Lisbon: Keaton at NYCFC (on loan from Benfica)

Yeah he has to not lose the momentum he has built up. Right now he is looking good in Portugal, if he plays sparingly or not at all for the 2nd half of the season, no one will remember him in the summer.

 

I think it's a good move considering his age and his rise has been pretty impressive

 

He's (or she's) referring to his choice to go to Portugal in the first place. It remains to be seen. Depends on how this plays out or how they play their cards.

I think his agent is doing a good job of shaping perception publicly that his inactivity is not due to failure on Keaton's part by any means. Now hopefully more clubs join the bidding, and ones even bigger than Portimonense because the player himself rejected the deal there. Bar getting a sizable offer though, Varzim could just end up burning him and his agent in the end for not being submissive. That would be a shame. If they held him until after the deadline, I'd keep playing for Varzim whenever asked until the summer window opens up, and nix any vindictive deals after the transfer window they may ask him to accept. Learn from Bjorn's situation.

 

Any news?

 

No.

 

Well it was fun while it lasted

 

this is the type of ish that makes me roll my eyes when people automatically seem to think every player who isnt playing isnt good enough....often more politics involved in playing time than most think.

 

The news is he appears to be stuck at Varzim and, for the time being, is not making game day rosters. All I can say for sure is that Benfica made an offer and Varzim did not accept it. It is hard to say who is most at fault, the club or the manager. It seems, from a distance that Keaton is an innocent victim of a Portuguese pissing match. Here's to hoping that Keaton gets back on the squad and maybe gets another offer in the summer.

 

Now that the window closed they are going to sell him to some mobster-owned club in the Eastern Bloc, and if he doesn't sign off he will reside on the bench of a Portugese 2nd division club the duration of his contract, thus appearing a failure to others and stunting his development. In Portuguese football, this is what you'll get, when you mess with us.....

 

Apparently the offer Benfica made was 200K Euro. That's 150k more than the deal Portimonense is reported to have made. Spite runs deep in the Lusitanian heart, it seems.

http://nortelitoral.tv/varzim-keaton-pretendido-pelo-benfica/

 

Sad news. I think he should just play out his contract and chuck it to experience. DO NOT GO TO THE EASTERN BLOCK>

 

Still at Varzim and still being punished with no roster call-ups. It's disgraceful.

Does Nats Abroad have a link?

 

I understand the confusion. I am confused as well. Transfermarkt, Sofascore, my own Forza app and other databases have him with Portimonense. Zerozero.pt, however, which is an impeccable source of data for players in the Portuguese leagues (as well as other leagues) say Varzim. Keaton's twitter account still says Varzim. I hope I am wrong and that Keaton does see the field - or at least the 18 - for Portão tomorrow but unless I am missing something huge, I fear he is still stuck at Varzim until the summer.

I threw the question out to some good sources and hopefully one will come back with a definitive answer. Unfortunately, the hopes and dreams of US fans are not always at the top of the priority list for fans and journos of the European teams.

@hokeydokey or @bshredder are probably better informed than I am, in any case.

 

Great find. Nice article. Kaci seems like a sweetheart. She just signed with Dallas Baptist Univesity on a full ride college scholarship. Easy to see it is a very close knit and athletic family.

 

Yeah. Confirmed. KP is still at Varzim and still not playing. Take it to the bank.

 

There may not be many left who care but I thought I would provide a brief update.

Keaton last played on the 21st of December. He last made the bench on the fourth of January (Pelaez last played on 18 December).

I have since confirmed, beyond doubt, that it is all on the Varzim president.

For those just tuning in, I will repeat that the Varzim President had made a deal (without consulting Keaton or his manager) to sell Keaton and Rui Costa to Portimonense in a joint deal. Keaton's manager refused the deal because he wasn't consulted and the kid was getting offers from clubs like Benfica (rumors of Ligue 1 interest as well). Armando Pelaez, who plays for Varzim B and shares Keaton's manager, is getting punished as well.

I would add one edit for those catching up. The Benfica deal was reported as done (and at 3 x the transfer fee as the Portão deal) and Keaton was being discussed as the new transfer in Benfica forums as recently as 10 days ago. Additionally, sites like transfermarkt for a while had him variously at Benfica and Portimonense. So a lot of confusion for about a month. I note this because not only was the President's action underhanded, it was also opaque.

 

I have absolutely no reason to doubt you, but this makes no sense.

One of your best players wants to stay and play for your team, while simultaneously driving up his value, but you choose to completely ostracize him, hurt your team, and drive down his value?

wat.

 

Take a gander at the Varzim Facebook timeline, and you will find that the fans are in unanimous agreement with you.

 

How long is his contract?