News: Toronto FC player movement/rumours thread

Can't fault Cesar, he tried. Luiz Gustavo and Dante (both Germany-based Brasilians) on the other hand...a rather convenient time to have 5 mental lapses.

 

Look, I like him....a lot. But....let's be a manager worth our salt and look at the whole picture:

He is 34 years old.

His contract with QPR pays him 150k pounds per week.

Despite paying him that much money, he was 3rd choice for QPR in the second tier of the English game last year....their first choice being a guy who used to be considered good enough to play for England but is now no better than 4th choice (3rd choice being a guy who plays in the Scottish Premiership).

Stellar world cup? I think he has been ok (very good in the penalty shoot out v Chile)...and certainly don't think today was his fault....but in the 5 matches prior to today he kept one clean sheet....yes, a team stat more than anything but he is part of the team. Yes David Luiz was awful in his marking today but I would expect a 34 year old keeper to be marshalling his defenders on that corner that led to that first goal....not his fault, per se...but he has to take some of the blame (and the kind of guy he is I bet he agrees).

So, I ask you....if you were managing a top club....how much would you pay for the right to pay that guy 150k pounds per week?

 

Here is how mlssoccer.com assesses Toronto's needs as the transfer window opens up.

Can't say there is much wrong with that assessment....nor the Chivas one where they identify the primary need as a new owner.

 

good god no it doesnt, I think you got your exchange rates mixed up there. Tony Fernandes says no one at qpr makes more than 70k per week... still huge money but not absolutely insane stupid money. You have to remember that most of the press reports about how much QPR pays its players are exaggerated.

And, again, the reason he was 2nd choice at QPR is because theyve been trying to offload his salary since near the end of their relegation season. Really the only thing Cesar has done wrong at QPR is sign a huge contract that the supporters are using as a bullyclub to point out the mistakes made during the Mark Hughes era. Cesar has become one of the whipping boys there because of the huge debt QPR are carrying, and because he's turned down multiple chances to move away because he would have had to accept a lower salary.

Rob Green has today signed a new 2 year contract with QPR, and they're not keeping both Green and Cesar. Not sure if this means Cesar is coming back to Toronto but there it is..

 

Well, I did not get that from a press source....I got it from direct conversation with someone who I think would know the contract situation very well.....unfortunately you will either have to take my word for it or not because I would not betray that person's confidence.

He is not 2nd choice at QPR...he is 3rd choice....Irish keeper Murphy is their #2.....and it seems a funny way to attract buyers by shunting him behind Green and Murphy.

I don't disagree with any of that....but the original question under discussion was about who buys him now....and it still stands.....who steps up with any kind of offer for a 34 year old keeper that fell (for whatever reason) to 3rd choice at a 2nd tier English team and his only match in, what, 18 - 24 months was an FA Cup game in which they lost 4 - nil....then played 7 matches in a league many still consider "lesser" before heading off to have a so-so world cup.....and given that the player has refused moves that would mean a lower salary, a buyer has to be aware that they will be on the hook for whatever that QPR contract says (even if it is the lower figure you quote - and I don't think it is - that amounts to {in North American terms} somewhere between $5.5 - $6 mil US a year).

I think there are three things that could prevent him from coming back here:

1. A buyer emerges that is willing to take him from QPR and pay him his contracted wages
2. No buyer emerges, QPR bite the bullet and just pay him out of his deal and free him to sign somewhere.
3. No buyer emerges, QPR does not bite that bullet but they find a club willing and able to pay a higher percentage of his wages as part of a new loan deal

All of those mean the end to his TFC days (I think #3 is most likely) but there still is the slim chance (quite slim) that no one is interested any more than TFC and from what I hear, he likes it here so if the only offer out there is an equal one to what TFC are doing...he comes back here.

 

A very good hint to what TFC is paying him is contained on page 2 of this document:

http://www.mlsplayers.org/files/April 1, 2014 Salary Information - Alphabetical.pdf

Keep in mind that is annualized (ie if he stayed here for a year then that is what he would get)....so $192k/52 = $3,692 per week....so at today's exchange rate TFC is paying around
£ 2,142/week.

 

I don't see why TFC would want him at anything like the kind of salary he could command (even reduced from his present level). He is a great goalie. Bendik is a solid MLS keeper, however, and the reality of the MLS salary cap would make paying for Cesar a bad idea. That is to say, there are a lot of better ways to spend that kind of cap hit in MLS.

 

Toronto will only want him if the existing loan deal stays in place....ie we get a very good, experienced keeper for a MLS-fitting salary. That is why any of the 3 scenarios I describe above will (IMHO) spell the end of his TFC adventure.

 

There;s been speculation ...and thats all it is, speculation... that Cesar's contract contained some play bonuses that QPR have been trying to avoid, Cesar himself seemingly referenced this in that video linked above. No idea if its true or not but it makes sense. As someone who watched almost every game Cesar played for QPR, I can state categorically that he did not play his way out of the #1 slot, he was excellent in the premier league, and so much.. SO much has been said and written about how QPR desperately want his wages off their books, me, I believe that story. Its the American soccer press thats gone and created the story that he's somehow washed up by being 2nd or 3d or whatever (who cares) string at qpr. Its straight up lazy opinion-ating, coming from looking at wikipedia pages and drawing conclusions based on simple assumptions. s for his wages, I can guarantee he is not making 150k pounds per week, no one at QPR is. im sorry but your "source" is just wrong. This is why I suggested that you must have some conversion rates mis-calculated or something. Even the disasterous Chris Samba made less than 100k, and he was the highest paid player QPR has had maybe ever, certainly among them at least, and arguably the biggest disappointment as well.

theoretically at least, TFC could drop one of the existing DP's to make room for Cesar. But I think youre right, Im not sure he'd really be worth a DP slot when there are already so many good keepers available for so much less.

 

to be perfectly honest I dont think QPR ever thought in a million years it would be so hard to offload Cesar; once theyd made the commitment to go with Rob Green they just werent going back on that, not a second time as they had already done at the beginning of the 2012-2013 season.

 

Congrats guys - you really got us good. Rey's contract has been terminated and he's returning to Spain for "personal reasons". It's also past the Guarantee date, so we're still paying him.

You got our top scorer from last year for free. Incredible.

http://www.thecrew.com/news/2014/07/crew-mutually-agrees-part-ways-midfielder-alvaro-rey

 

I also just read on the Italian web site that Julio Cesar is now with Benfica.
http://calcio.fanpage.it/calciomercato-julio-cesar-vicino-alla-firma-con-il-benfica/#ixzz37YAk9V9m
http://calcio.fanpage.it

 

^the English press are simply saying QPR and Benfica are in talks over Cesar.

 

I am sure that TFC tried to make a deal that was "beneficial for both clubs" or a "win-win situation" isn't that what the sports cliche book would have us believe?

 

The Crew organization is just...

 

You're going to love this.

Less than 12 hours after we terminated his contract... He signed with a 2nd Div Spanish team to a 3 year contract.

So refresher here...

1. No player in exchange for Oduro
2. No transfer fee to send to Spanish team

This is just embarrassing.

 

Well, we finally get the whole story from 3G about Rey - and I can say now I'm ok with it.

http://www.dispatch.com/content/blogs/covering-the-crew/2014/07/rey-signs.html

I still don't like that we pretty much gave you Oduro, but he was a large salary to unload for this transfer window. Rey freeing up a roster spot was probably more valuable than the cap space he gave us by leaving.

 

Interesting article....I wonder if Rey going home is good for both Columbus and TFC now. In the article it mentions that there is no lingering cap implications for Columbus because the parting was mutual.....later it states that TFC was continuing to pay part of Rey's salary after the trade.....presumably retained salary from a traded player impacts your cap.....so do both Columbus and TFC have a bit more cap space today because of the Crew's mutual parting with Rey?

 

I remember reading that Benfica was interested in Cesar back in April or so, so not surprised if that's where he ends up.

Edit: Actually it was posted here on March 26.

http://forums.bigsoccer.com/threads...-rumours-thread.1986976/page-42#post-29829749

 

I guess playing Houston two weeks in a row turned into a scouting mission.

TFC has acquired 23 year old midfielder Warren Creavalle from the Dynamo. All that appears to be exhanged is allocation orders....Houston is now first in line for the next allocated player and TFC swaps down to 14.