Tea Light in the Dark Universe: Bobby Wood at Hamburg

Starts in a friendly:

📋 A few changes from Dieter Hecking this afternoon, with Xavier Amaechi and Jonas David being given the nod, whilst Louis Schaub makes his first start for the Rothosen.

⚠️ The kick-off has been moved back to 15:15 GMT#nurderHSV #MoinLagos pic.twitter.com/1McGExGJrt

— HSV English (@HSV_English) January 16, 2020

 

Bobby has a shot of making the squad for the March friendlies, me thinks. If he can get some starts for Hamburg.

 

Why would he want to play in a couple friendlies? Why would Berhalter want him in? Wood has got 45 caps. That's a nice nats career. A couple friendlies aren't going to lead anywhere for him if he can't get his club career righted. But the "some starts" bit we can all agree on. He needs a couple starts, some serious game time and to perform well to get back in the graces of Hamburg, and anyone who might be watching. Playing for the US while he can't get a club game isn't going to help his career. It also says something very sad about the USMNT

 

Starts the 2nd half of a friendly:

46' ⏱️ We're back underway with a completely new XI:

Mickel
Beyer - David - Ewerton - Amaechi
Kinsombi - Fein - Dudziak
Suhonen - Wood - Kittel
____#VFBHSV 1-1#nurderHSV

— HSV English (@HSV_English) January 23, 2020

And scores:

82' ⏱️ Goal for HSV! Xavier Amaechi does well and wins the ball high up the pitch, squares to Bobby Wood who fires home to reduce the arrears.
____#VFBHSV 4-2#nurderHSV

— HSV English (@HSV_English) January 23, 2020

 

Hamburg is paying like half a million per goal Bobby scores in a friendly.

 

Joel Pohjanpalo of Bayer is linked to HSV, reportedly traveling for medical.

 

Wood scores in a friendly. In other news...

These guys are claiming (from a brief lame self-translate of the first bit) that Hecks had kicked Wood to the stands. Perhaps a better German-speaker than I can elaborate. Basically that he looks to get 0 more 1st team time with HSV if the Bayer transfer happens.

"In the last test against the fourth division club VfB Lübeck he should get one more job. But he no longer has a real chance at HSV." (Wood scored in this friendly)

https://fussball.news/artikel/top-v...arum-will-bobby-wood-trotzdem-nicht-wechseln/

 

Keller4president didn't say anything about Wood playing for the US but not being able to play for Hamburg. He said "if he can get some starts for Hamburg."

 

MLS side FC Cincinnati are interested in signing Bobby Wood according to BILD. His agent, Volker Struth, will travel to the US to negotiate with them in the coming days. pic.twitter.com/ndF8k7nZL6

— HSV News English (@HSVnewsEN) January 28, 2020

#SaveWood

 

Yep. Just looking at this page, it seems time for Wood to wave the white flag for his adventures in Germany.

If he had transferred to MLS three seasons ago he would have made Altidore/Bradley/Dempsey money. He should still get a decent paycheck in MLS, but I expect it to be more along the lines of Dwyer and Zardes.

 

I mean this negatively when I say it: he feels like a Cincinnati signing.

Hopefully he can buck their trend of disastrous signings and make something of himself in MLS.

 

HSV May have to pay for him to leave...

 

I highly dobt he'd ever be pulling 4-6 million in MLS unless he had over-performed in a WC or something. But I figure he'd have gotten 2 million max. Probably now he's likely to get 500-600 K.

 

I don't think Wood was in HSV squad today. A few reports out of Germany that his time is really up. MLS mentioned.

 

FYP

 

I thought the whole thing was Wood wouldn't leave and the club couldn't force him to leave. Why then now is he supposedly on the way out?

 

They're paying him compensation, so Bobby is leaving a wealthy man.

 

This is the truth.

There is actually pressure on FCC to make some positive signings and Wood is certainly risky. I mean, Wooten just arrived in Philly after being one of the best 2.BL scorers in 2018/19 (similar numbers to Wood's high in the 2.BL) and hasn't done anything for the Union as of late.

This is going to be interesting. Wood needs to play, FCC needs some positive signings and improvement overall - and there isn't a high degree of confidence Wood will help provide it.

 

This feels like the final nail in his coffin. FCC and Wood are both in bad places.

 

So they pay him to rip up his current contract right?

 

Hope a change in scenery does him good.

 

Yep. Basically buy him out.

 

I'd have liked to see him in the Netherlands but those damn wages of his.

 

The norm, at least in England, is 50% of what's due on the wages, maybe with a lump sum in lieu of bonuses he might have earned. Since they've been anxious to get rid of him for some time and he's been standing on his contractual rights, it's very likely that this is the ballpark figure. He may also get a signing-on fee for joining Cincinnati if he's a club player straight out, rather than processed through MLS central office.

Either way he's set for life financially, which is good, because MLS plays fairly high standard football a these days and is very demanding physically (plastic pitches, travel, etc). Can't imagine moving stateside is going to do his knees any good but if his knees really are done, he'll have a decent nest egg.

 

I would like to see him in MLS