Guess he would be loaned out... if they’re committed to finding him a place where he’ll play it won’t be that bad.
Gotta figure he'd be making 10x his regular wages with them and probably get to play in 7 games a season. Hmmmm I was hoping he might return to the Bundesliga.
Don't pooh pooh this too quickly. Remember that they play a ton of games with UCL and EPL so he may get more time than you think even if not loaned out. Now clearly keepers need to play so I get that. Would be interesting to see how this would shake out.
He doesn't qualify for a work permit automatically. Man City have already had work permit appeals turned down. https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...glas-luiz-refused-work-permit-manchester-city He would be going out on loan somewhere.
Breaking for @TheAthleticSCCR: Columbus Crew and MLS finalizing a transfer to send Zack Steffen to Manchester City for between $7 and $10 million, per multiple sources. https://t.co/vZRxHYS8ko pic.twitter.com/HATSYFVxG5— Paul Tenorio (@PaulTenorio) November 26, 2018 And there it is. Could be a loan to NAC Breda to join Erik Palmer-Brown, since he won't have a work permit.
If he gets game time, on loan is fine, he'll be in a good position. Miazga has gotten plenty of field time being shuffled around by a big club. But, if he vanishes on a bench somewhere, Horvath played a good game for he US and seems to have become more convincing with his club so we may well have a battle on our hands. I have to admit, the US goalkeeping situation is looking markedly better than a year or two ago.
Sources tell CBS Sports that Manchester City plans to loan Steffen out to begin. Am told that it could be an affiliate club, and the most likely destination I hear is Girona of La Liga.— Roger Gonzalez (@RGonzalezCBS) November 26, 2018
I'm not sure about this move for Steffen. Ederson is only 25, so there seems to be no path to being the starter. So, it's loans or being #2 as far as the eye can see. If he's just going to get loaned out for a couple years, why not do a straight transfer to, say, mid- to low-level Bundesliga club, have a couple good years, and then aim for a transfer up the ladder? Now I know that the answer is money--both in terms of his salary and a team willing to pay a big enough transfer to get MLS to budge--but still not sure this is best long-term for his career.
It's looking way better than just 6 months ago. If Hamid returns to form and Gonzalez puts it altogether and with JK (and other young guys in the pipeline), we'll be set.
A Yank keeper in La Liga? Finally, the Big Man upstairs is listening. Just a little info I came across; As of now, Girona is 7th with 15 goals conceded in 13 games. The no.1 is Canadian-born and has played in every league game with 5 clean sheets. He's been their no.1 going on a year. The club no.2 is 37 and has only played once this season.
I do hope Gonzalez gets a January callup as I still have hope in him, but he must be second-guessing the switch from Mexico right now. Firmly behind youngsters who put up MOTM international friendly performances against France and Italy, one who might be in La Liga on loan from the Premier League champions, another who recently shut out Monaco in Champions League. And it seems pretty clear the US has more prominent youth keepers than Mexico. Gonzalez would have a better shot with Mexico in the long run.
Mexico def doesn't seem to put much priority in their goalkeeping. Seems like they stick with a vet and years go by before realizing they should try to have several back up options.
As long as he's in Europe and playing regularly, I think thats good. Most of our good young players from MLS don't ever leave MLS, so getting out of MLS now that he has European interest is good. Man City's back up isn't a bad option either. He wouldn't play as much, but he'd learn from the best coach in football, and he probably would play enough games to keep sharp because of how many games Man City plays.
It's sometimes easy to forgot how young some of these guys move abroad. Howard moved to United at 24 after 5 years in MLS. Guzan moved to AV at 23 after 4 seasons in MLS. Zach making his big move (also at 23) after 2 years of MLS.
I do think this looks like a purchase with an eye toward a future sale more than expecting he will eventually suit up for Man City under Pep. Pep has jettisoned more established goalkeepers than Steffen because they weren't the type to play much with their feet. And I've seen nothing to make it look like Steffen is a guy who plays with his feet much back there. Anyone know much about his ability in this regard?
I understand the unhappiness with a club like MC signing him, because he clearly won't be in their plans. That seems to be a negative. But as a few others alluded to, it seems there is this new dynamic where they do it for future sales, US market, whatever. And with all their affiliate clubs, he's definitely going to get a chance to play somewhere. It almost seems to be better than going straight to a lower-tier La Liga club. If something doesn't work out, he's not simply kicked to the curb. He will still have Man City and it's group of clubs to move on to. Plus, with these constant loans, at least from an outsider's perspective, makes me think these players will have to perform consistently, and not get static or lazy at one specific club. I think it's time, at least for me, for a shift in thinking. It's not "ohhh noooo, he'll never play there, this stinks!", but rather basically moving to a place in Europe (who knows which club) where he'll be performing against better competition and being pushed on a daily basis. Seems pretty decent.