So do Leeds have right of first refusal? Will there be a set amount that they can pay to trigger the buy at the end of the season? If Weston plays great, can another PL team still make a suprerior offer that Leeds will have to match?
The way I understand "obligation" rather option to buy is that Leeds have all but bought him and deferred timing of full payment. No other team can swoop in (just like his move from Schalke to Juve...when juve determined for sure that he fit their plans then they only had to pay the agreed upon fee and the deal was done)
Yeah the way this is being reported is that basically the only way Leeds don't purchase him is if they get relegated or if McKennie plays less than 10 games (which I could really only see happening if he immediately picked up a major injury or something).
no reason he can't jump right into the next game .... I will focus on the GD once Wes starts to contribute and see how it plays out in the next 5 matches.
How long does it typically take to get a UK work permit for someone like McKennie, who is coming from another country but clearly meets the eligibility requirements?
EDIT: the more I read this, the more it's clear that the process of acquiring a work permit is complex... I still think Weston easily clears the requirements for a Work Permit, but the application process is confusing... it seems simultaneously synchronous AND asynchronous because The FA has to work with both the teams (agile; quick to respond) and the British Government (bloated; in perpetual chaos post-Brexit), so the process is built to be seamless as long as the FA can easily determine if the player is "significant" enough to get a Work Permit. Personally, I think that if Weston doesn't make the bench this weekend, it's because he needs more time in training... I don't think the Work Permit will be a hurdle... Also, does any of this even matter? I thought Weston had an EU passport because he was born in Germany when his dad was serving? IDK, maybe I made that up...
in the replies: Please rise for our nation anthem 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/tiF2cqABTk— Luke (@LufcLuke_) January 30, 2023
Ahhhh. Okay, so, yeah, he'll need a permit, but while the home office might not update his status for a month or more, it seems like he'll get his permit as long as he meets the Auto-pass criteria for international appearances (making appearances in 40% or more of competitive USMNT matches in the past 2 years). Even if he doesn't hit auto-pass, he'll easily pass the rest of the points rating system: because the USMNT is #13 in the World, if Weston appeared in 30% of competitive matches, he'll get 10 points and needs 15 to qualify. The next criteria is '% of domestic minutes played at the player's last club in the current season'. This is also subject to a tier system (well, to differ the terminologies, a 'band system'), and Serie A is in Band A, meaning that Weston would only need to have played 30% or more of Juventus' league minutes this season to put him past the 15-point threshold. The next criteria is % of team minutes in continental competition during the current season with more points given to CL than EL or conference league. So... yeah. No problems. He probably already possesses his GBE, which he now shows to the UK Home Office within the next 3 months. The Home Office will give him a T2 work visa, and he's set until the moves clubs.
British Gov may be bloated (although not in comparison to US Gov) they are not in perpetual chaos post Brexit when dealing with a non-EU citizen. Brexit has no bearing on this whatsoever. Weston's case will be a pretty straightforward WP just like any other US Player playing in UK. It will move pretty quick.
Based on the manual, it sounds like there is a difference between the actual "T2 Work Permit" and the sponsorship from an employer required for the work permit. The latter is pretty speedy (and is what the various qualification scores count towards), but the FA gives a 3 month cushion for the former. I'm not going to argue that the system in the US isn't just as dumb and bloated, but the comparison here is between the government (slow) and the clubs / FA (fast). All I was trying to say is that, even if Wes doesn't have his "work permit" proper, he will be allowed to play as long as he qualifies for sponsorship. And, of course, maybe I'm misunderstanding the whole thing. The manual is clearly geared towards the administrative staff at the clubs who actually have to do all this s***.
He easily qualifies under the criteria. I doubt it takes longer to than a week to get the permit itself (and possibly shorter).
I think his Harry Potter goal celebration qualifies him as a British Citizen / wizard. Eligibility should be no problem.
He will qualify fairly easily. They actually have separate people that work Celebrity/Sports WP’s especially ones that are time sensitive. He won’t be standing in line with 6,000 applicants from the former empire waiting to plead his case.
I don't know, it may take time for Wes to get 'clarity" and "clearness" on the tactics. For those of you who may not know, every single press conference, Win/Lose/Draw, Jesse mentions the team is getting better on "clarity" and getting "clear" on how they want to play and their tactics. It may be true, but I am hoping he starts using new buzz words. I know there are only so many cliché's you can keep throwing out there to appease the press every week. I would love to see Wes jump in and make a difference. Let's all just hope they stay up this season.
Definitely would not count on that - Leeds it a systems team, he's gonna need to integrate and understand the triggers for the press and where responsibilities lie or the whole thing falls apart pretty quickly. I think Wes is a quick study and is a really likely sub, but when the team has been playing well collectively (despite scoring challenges) in an important relegation battle I think Wes starts this one on the bench.