I think that if he does this, the big paycheck at a big club will come. I hope those close to him are advising him for the long-term. Yes, I know that the future is not guaranteed and everyone should "get theirs" while they have the chance. But that also needs to be looked at within the context of long-term growth potential.
Starts: De startende XI bij onze Kemphanen voor vanavond! #WESGNT pic.twitter.com/TNriLKqELx— KVC Westerlo (@KVCWesterlo) May 27, 2023 Match is on ESPN+.
https://fansided.com/2023/05/30/usmnt-news-marsch-monaco-aaronson-leeds-exit-reynolds-west-ham/ Bryan Reynolds who is currently on loan at Westerlo from AS Roma, has been linked with a move to West Ham United this summer. It appears that the Hammers have a plan for the defender if he is to make the move to the London Stadium. Tom Bogert has revealed that “West Ham’s pursuit of USMNT fullback Bryan Reynolds would include the plan of an initial loan to Sparta Prague for the 2023-24 season.”
Sparta Prague will be in the Champions League, potentially, so that would be an upgrade. I can not speak if the overall quality of the Czech league is as high as Belgium, but on the face of it, I would say no. My hope is that he goes somewhere and is able to play every match to continue his development. That is the biggest wish for me.
I’m not against a loan to Sparta Praha. For those that don’t know, they are led by Danish manager Brian Priske who has a pretty solid reputation developing and playing young players at his two previous stops Midtjylland and Royal Antwerp. IIRC, he won the Danish title with Midtjylland.
Does West Ham have some kinda relationship with that club? Seems odd to send him to Central Europe. No Dutch clubs available?
There's a reasonably strong connection with the Czech league since Soucek and Coufal both came over. He'd be probably brought in as the heir apparent for Coufal. Last two yanks for West Ham were Lleget and Spector...both had/have had quite interesting careers for different reasons.
It wouldn’t be horrible if his playing time and development are prioritized, but it’s a step down from Belgium, and IMO would not be the move that he needs to get up to speed for west ham/the EPL. I think purchases with immediate loans are generally a bad idea, so I don’t like the move based on that. However, if west ham is going to purchase him, and they want to give him a real chance to succeed there, then he needs to be going on loan to a team/league that’s at least as good as Westerlo/Jupiler pro league, and preferably a step up.
On the plus side of things, I think all of the Czech League matches are streamed on FIFA + for free. Lots of things may still happen before the deal is done.
I like the idea of West Ham + a loan, but going to the Czech league is a bit of a step back so I’m not sure I like this. I’d much prefer another Belgian side or a club in the Eredivisie.
It's deeper than that, the owner of Sparta is a major West Ham shareholder. Yes, he seems to have stabilized what was a poor stretch for that club (they went through a lot of managers, to the point it was becoming a joke...) and they dominated the league after the winter break on the way to their first title in 9 seasons. Right back is a relative weakness as they sort of rotate between two players in the starting role, so it could be an okay loan, but in my opinion it's the worst kind of club for a young player to go on a developmental loan - a big club in a worse league. If you get dropped from the lineup at any point during you adjustment you basically will only have the training ground for the season, and if you do take the starting spot you only have a handful of matches at the level you played before. Also, loan aside, West Ham really took a massive step back this season, so it's not inconceivable he'd be returning from a disappointing to play in the Championship for a new manager with most of the talent gone.
They were a Premier League and European competition team this year, and if they win their final they'll be the same next year. Despite not being top half, they essentially are with that CV. Losing Rice will hurt, a lot. They're not going to replace him even with 2 or 3 players. But the money involved could strengthen a lot of other areas. I'd be cautiously optimistic to have him (or Adams) at West Ham.
Next match - 3 June 2023 Westerlo @ Club Brugge 2:25 PM EST on ESPN + No idea if he will play or not.
Played the entire match in a 2-0 loss. Good example of how a loan should work. I hope his next destination, wherever it is, will have similar results.
Reynolds made the "Bench" for the best XI of former MLS players playing overseas. Nice to see some love for hom. GK: Matt Turner (Arsenal) D: Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Bryan Reynolds (Westerlo), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach) M: Ismaël Kone (Watford), Jack Harrison (Leeds United) F: Diego Rossi (Fenerbahçe), Cyle Larin (Real Valladolid), Daryl Dike (West Brom)
It was my mistake. I was looking for Westerlo, nor Roma. Classical Conditioning, my Intro to Psychology Prof would be proud.
There is an internet rumor out there, so not sure of the validity, that says that Reynolds was slotted to start, but Berhalter changed the lineup. Reynolds left on the bench.