not really. Orlando doesn't really want to sell at all. So they will sell IF the price must be accepted. And this will be as a courtesy to Dike and the other young players coming up.
If he continues at this pace, he will be coveted by a team in the EPL. They pay 20-30 million for good championship cf's in their mid 20's. He's 20 & has intriguing attributes. There'd be no doubt they'd pay double-digits. It wouldn't be the end of the world if Orlando wanted him to finish out this next MLS season so they can make one final playoff run together. In the meantime he'll get int'l showcases to up his price too. Then he could be off to a mid-table EPL side. That route, if you could be a little patient, would be better than if he got stuck playing hoofball for Barnsley at the bottom of the EPL. In a perfect world he gets the move to a club the level of Wolves (who need a striker) this summer.
You can just tell that Orlando is in that place that DC was with Lucho Acosta. After years of sucking, they were finally good last year. They are going to be extremely hesitant to sell a popular, young player who helped get them there. They haven't really sold before, and their fanbase, which was awesome coming into MLS and is still there, was hanging on by a thread before this year. I can see it both ways, but if they get an 8 digit offer, I'd do it. I don't think Dike is Lucho Acosta -- the type to completely fall apart -- but the lesson is simple: be realistic about both the upside and the downside of a player. Is the value there? You can find another striker. They still have Mueller, Nani, Peyrera, Perea. Go out and buy someone, promote a homegrown.
I think I'd like to see Dike get out of England. 1) I don't know that playing more in the Championship would do anything for his development. I've only watched two Barnsley games so far, but they've been really poor representations of the sport (not trying to start one of those arguments, but I think MLS is more tactically and technically sophisticated than at least the mid-level of the Championship from the small sample I've seen). 2) And even if one of the newly promoted teams buys him, as others have pointed out, he's likely to go long stretches of games in the EPL not being involved or just chasing down hopeful long balls. 3) I think he's still a bit raw and might not be ready for a mid-level EPL team, so if a team like that buys him, I worry they'll lose patience, and he'll be stapled to the bench a la Otasowie.
I kind of agree that the Championship is pretty crude but athletic soccer. I think all experience will be good for him-remember he has been a pro for one year. If I had my choice, I'd go to a mid-level German BL team if one wants him. German soccer is pretty tough but also values possession more that English teams except the top of the EPL. Just my 2 cents.
Lately most German teams build their entire gameplan around the counter press. The result has been some ugly gameplay.
Stylistically, it looks a lot like early MLS to my eye. I’m not trying to compare the championship to early MLS with regard to quality. Just an observation on style.
I've seen some claim the opposite. It's such a small, mixed sample: - Dike played well - Morris OK in his preseason while expanding time to get match fit prior to blown knee after 90 minutes and - Arriola, a mediocre starter in MLS coming off a blown knee hasn't done much for a top Championship side So it's basically acting as a Rohrshach test for biases.
Cross league judgments based on of off-season loan performance is misleading. Why not consider the players from the Championship moving here? Hamalainen wasn't so hot at LAFC and had to go to Scotland to get games. You also have to consider that the top of the Championship is quite a bit different from the midtable or even the bottom. It's a pointless way to judge. People see what they want to see.
I disagree that its pointless. Is it going to answer all questions? No. Can it provide useful information? Absolutely.
Starts: 📰 One last check on the two lineups courtesy of club partner @CopierSystems and the official teamsheet... pic.twitter.com/K5NSWma5eE— Barnsley FC (@BarnsleyFC) March 6, 2021
PICK THAT OUT!!!!! pic.twitter.com/jNNyVkdVqS— Barnsley FC (@BarnsleyFC) March 6, 2021 Man on Fire, it was an absolute rocket as well Edit: the goal pic.twitter.com/4jHfLro6cF— Bad Hombre (@B4DH0MBR3) March 6, 2021
I am going to make a controversial statement here and say that this is starting to look like a successful loan spell.
Celebration needs some work but he keeps doing outrageous things like that and he'll get plenty of opportunities.
Everything else can be worked on, but a hit like that can't be taught. Guy is quickly working himself up the US depth chart.