My guesses: Fontas, Kinda, ( i mean he had time to focus on this) and maybe thommy? Not that thommy has the time, but the theory is that State moves more quickly for a rich Euro country player than a poor one. Agada and Kinda come from Israel. we do have a special relationship with Israel on residency matters.Kinda is an Israeli citizen, but not sure what Agada's status there is.
Kinda got his last year, just after the league's new cut off so he still counted as an international. Fontas is a good bet, Ndenbe being out of the country could have been the finalization of the GC process technically too...
Also, just because I like to know if $190k GAM is a good deal for an international spot, it looks like they were "sold" anywhere from $175k to $200k in xAM in the offseason, so it's about market value. I'm sure I missed some, but I didn't see any outside of that window.
Ndenbe makes sense. There really was no other visa-related reason for him to stay out of the country at the start of camp. If he got one, maybe Voloder and Tzonis?
Love PV's non-specific word selection. If SKC have 7 international spots, my guess its a good bet that they will have at least an additional 2 or 3 players with green cards soon. More important, I listed 8 UEFA based players. Kinda makes 9. Pulido is from Mexico. SKC have exactly zero senior roster spot players from S. America. WTF? Do they not see what Atlanta, Chicago, LAFC (most of the league) have done by scouting and then flipping players from S. America? Why does it feel like they are behind on all player scouting and development trends?
FWIW they do have a scouting network in South America. My understanding is that it's still through former player Santiago Hirsig, who helped bring in Mauri. Here's some on it from a little over a year ago now. https://www.kshb.com/sports/how-san...mes-fuels-sporting-kcs-international-scouting
So one of the trialists has signed with SKCII. https://www.sportingkc.com/skcii/ne...s-algerian-canadian-defender-nassim-mekideche
Another CB rumor: https://www.gelderlander.nl/vitesse...t-al-niet-meer-bij-selectie-vitesse~a651b92c/
Okay, so on a season long loan with Vitesse, who have an option to buy, the option according to the transfermarkt valuation should be around $2.5m, which is a heavy fee for lil' Vitesse, it would tie their record transfer amount for a defender. He has played for them 10 times, but has only started and played 90 3 times, and has not been making the bench in recent games, which might mean they don't seem him as a fancypants $2.5m player and are hoping to get the fee reduced, or might mean they don't rate him. But, right footer, and 25 years old. So ticks some boxes.
However, despite my negativity, in 2019, so as a 22 year old CB, he was valued at $18 million and there's a video by his agent that states: This is why every big club wants Ferro. The rumors at the time were Arsenal and Man U were among the suitors. As one commentor on the video noted, and he went to the biggest club of all, Hajduk Split. Then he was sold to Sporting Lisbon, won a title without playing much of a role, and is now at Vitesse. So, even more in PV's wheelhouse, Ferro is a reclamation project. He went from being one of the next great CBs to being not getting games at a Dutch club with relegation worries. Bring him in and turn him around and he would be a massive success for SKC. However, given his background, this rumor kind of screams of that club that tried to buy CRon is in for him, so you better get serious.
Other things I read also started Benfica is going to just release him from his contract which ticks another box for PV.
Free is good. and I should correct my error from above, he played a lot in Portugal in 2019, until the end of the season, when he vanished. Also, for PV, he does have three La Liga starts!
Benfica are also releasing John Brooks from his contract this window (per rumor). They did get healthy. So they signed Isi instead of taking the $2.5M option on this guy ... that makes me wonder if we're downgrading or if it was just Isi is cheaper than this guy and maybe not much different as far as ability.
"La Liga" player - check "free transfer" - check "European" - check Only things missing are "Barca B" and "recovering from long term injury".
And 54 PAC on fifa. Edit: overshot. He's 52 in pace. I haven't played in so many years that I'm not sure if that's even a poor stat for a center back, though it definitely means he's not exceptionally fast.
Downgrading/upgrading. Player trajectory. Portuguese player from a good club, loaned to Valencia (3 games, doesn't play). This year loaned to a Croatian team, then loaned to a Dutch club with good history. Option to buy. He's not playing at Vitesse and they are letting him go. He's 25, and therefore no longer seen as a prospect or a player that will develop in UEFA. He's drawing interest from a bottom Ligue 1 club and an MLS club. Draw your own conclusions as to if that is an upgrade or downgrade from Isi.
He's younger than Isi was ... that's for sure, but Isi's time at PSV and Besiktas are likely a little more of a resume than this kid. It's certainly not a significant upgrade (or shouldn't be expected to be) if he's departing a club that is picking up Isi.
He's 6 years younger than Isi. both had values that topped out when young. Isi was valued at a peak of $4.5 million. Ferro at $18 million. Both have struggled to live up to that billing, but both have had several really good season, and been in career freefall when SKC came calling. Still, 25 is an upgrade over 31.
The Blue Testament piece on Ferro doesn't actually tell us if this is an actual pursuit by SKC, but is a good primer on who he is. Still, the signs seem to point to him vamoosing from Vitesse soon. the tweet says SKC or Montpellier. I will hope he has as much fun in Montpellier as I did (I hated that place). No idea if he is THE answer for SKC, but he is an answer for our CB woes. The article notes conflicting release info, one tweet saying free, the other saying $2 million.
So, regarding Ferro, this is from a piece in 2019. It is worth a look, and it shows how quickly fortunes rise and fall in the footie world. I mean, jeebus, this guy was in not just a different league, but a different league on a different planet in the months before Covid. WTF? : As per a report from Portuguese publication Record, which was carried by Mirror, Premier League title challengers Liverpool have established contact with Portuguese outfit Benfica as they explore the possibility of signing 21-year-old Francisco Reis Ferreira in the summer window. ... However, if Liverpool want to sign Ferro from Benfica, they will have to battle Premier League rivals Manchester City as well as Klopp’s former club Borussia Dortmund, both of whom are reportedly interested in the 21-year-old. Moreover, Ferro signed a new contract with Benfica last month, extending his stay at the club till 2023. As per the report, the contract contains a whopping €100 million release clause, which Liverpool will have to meet in order to force Benfica into a sale.
So, is Ferro the "other European star" who got in touch about signing with SKC, after CRon? I mean, stretching it a bit these days, but it wasn't too long ago when that would have been a more than fair assessment, and we wouldn't have dreamed of being able to afford a guy like this.
PVs track record on CBs is a fireable offense. That part of the defense hasn't been solid since Besler/Opara. Since then, its been a revolving door of players and a series of signings that, if you don't laugh at, will just make you cry. Since Opara left, the only consistent "anchor" CB has been Fontas. I used anchor on purpose. Season starts in Feb. We have 3 CBs on the roster and a few trialists. Of the 3 CBs on the senior roster, maybe one is better than MLS average. Maybe. Again, how has this issue not been resolved? Besler/Opara was 5 years ago. Peter has brought in a series of tomato cans/traffic cone defenders from all over Europe to replace that pair. No success. Year after year after year SKC go into the season with the CBs as the weak link. But hey, remember when we almost signed Michael Bradley? And that time we almost signed Ronaldo? That was fun.