On the plus side, Gio’s fans still showing perfect form and regular message board activity. A+ stuff.
I think there are lots of teams across the globe that would buy Gio and play him but it would have to be the right fit. They would have to be able to spend the $12M to $15M that Dortmund wants for him. They would also have to play a game model that suits Gio's attributes and style. NYRB and NYFC, the clubs the posters said Gio should call just don't play a game model that fits Gio's attributes. Neither does Colorado or Atlanta. Columbus one would think but their players also have to fun far and often. I still have adream that PSV sells Malik and brings in Gio.
I don’t disagree with your logic … here is my question - CWC is a waste of time for him. so why did BVB even bring him along - they are not going to play him so his value just keeps getting lower (they get even less transfer money) - are they making up for it with the jersey advertising? They could have done the same with Albert and Campbell. Is he there for training opposition for the main players? Just set him loose now and let him go. If they just let him try to get a deal now they might get more than parking him on the bench for this futility exercise. They have already concluded he is surplus and why bring him at all? Heck even Chuk and Gittens likely will not be around and yet they are playing them. Whole situation makes zero sense to me. I just don’t understand what the heck BVB is even doing.
I don’t think there’s a market for him. Earnie Stewart, the administrator that the Reynas screwed over, runs AmericaSV over there. That one’s a no-go. Maybe someone like Herenveen or AZ? I don’t think that he’d be helped there as much as he would in MLS where he would be essentially guaranteed playing time because of his contract.
Utrecht - as a Pax replacement... (seriously would not be a bad move, although I'm not sure Gio has the work-rate Utrecht likes from their mids.) Realistically, unless everyone just gives up and starts over from GO, the Ered is not likely, just due to finances. MLS is the only place that comes close to making economic sense from a team's POV. You could fool yourself that Reyna name and his USMNT "fame" sell some tix - but at what price point. Hopefully he gets some game while over here, spits fire, and jump starts something. Just as a general rule I hate to see a player who wants to play not get the chance due to business circumstances. Hope he gets to move someplace that believes they can use him.
so they think they increase or stabilize his value against opponents below Fluminese? Probably would have improved his sell on value at the Gold Cup and friendlies due to those matches against Türkiye and z Switzerland …. Just makes zero sense …
It would seem the "building value" ship has sailed. I think BvB is cutting their losses on that front. If they think he'll help them win, he'll play. Clearly, they don't think he'll contributue vs better sides.
I have a different POV .... they only wanted him for the pre tourney marketing value of ticket sales and jersey sales ... they have zero use for him otherwise. I wonder if he and BVB have an agreement that he will help them market in the US and they will be silent. Perhaps he and BVB both know that his injury situation is essentially career ending in Europe. And they are all being quiet about it, because both sides want to get the max $ in the near term. There is a possibility (only pure speculation on my part) that if/when he had covid it caused long term issues for him - and he will simply never be a top level athlete at this point. Only a physical as part of signing might show this. We shall see. They have long since decided that he can't help them win. From my cheap seat, the entire CWC is a waste of time - unless they wanted his marketing value.
oh, I agree completely about using him for USA marketing only, I said as much on here when the CWC posters/ads came out. Of course, I am not sure how much drawing power he has, his star has faded quite a bit if we're honest. If I put on the conjecture hat, an optimistic take is I think there could be a deal in place already, and this is his last involvement before moving on elsewhere. As opposed to a year ago, I do now think MLS is a real viable option he may be considering. And on your other point, I was thinking the same as well; On the other end of the spectrum, a real cyncial view could be that his body has not recovered and is just not cooperating, and we may be way more closer to a John O'Brien story than we think, and he is just gonna sit and enjoy one last season on a contract. But let's not go down that road, he is still young enough for some optimism. I have made a few posts on here the last few days, and I now realize that like others have pointed out, the thread probably does have way too much traction for a Yank who has sat/played little like Gio the past 2 years. So I think I should not fan any flames and I'll go quiet on this one for awhile until there is some real, actual news or movement.
Whatever it is, injuries, the psychological fallout of the whole thing with his parents, his natural style of play, I think he is sort of cooked at this point, with the possibility that sure he is young enough to turn it around. That espn article this year on how little he runs still sticks in my mind though. That’s just not the modern game and there are too many other players who have skills like his and are runners. I don’t see what the market it is for a guy like him right now. Even in MLS, he’d be a liability on the defensive side of things. Unfortunately, there are plenty of guys who have super silky technique that can’t hack it at the top professional levels.
There is no evidence that there are lingering injury issues. All of the official talk has been of fitness. We see that back to Qatar, where his problems began because he was not being willing to submit to fitness tests. The question is whether or not he wants to play soccer professionally. That appears to be the issue, given the facts. He appears to be burned out. It happens to lots of athletes. Maybe he wants to be a rapper, who knows. He can turn it around, it will just take some work and some focus. Returning to MLS could help with that.
completely agree re: health and or body not recovering ... I remember clearly when JOB had the issues he did - such a talent ... having said that ... JOB is contributing in a different way ... https://worldbuildingtherapy.com/ a great place to live and enjoy life for sure ....
Accept him? Certainly. Promote the hell out of him too. They'd also play him to justify the hyping of him. The question is whether they'd keep playing him. The player I watched at Forest was way off the pace of the game and like @glutton4Bolts the lack of aggression was palpable. That won't work in MLS
https://soccer.realgm.com/wiretap/1...t-Metrics-Reveal-Significant-Physical-Decline There appears to be both a physical (top speed decline) and mental (number of sprints per 90 decline) issue.
I wonder what offer BVB would accept for him. Year's ago they were probably thinking that one day they'd get 40 million him. Today they'd be lucky to get 4.
Ok, I finally got a clear answer on Club World Cup releases. "There is one exception: clubs were required to release players for the international window immediately preceding the Club World Cup, from June 2 to June 10, 2025." But not during the Gold Cup itself. So Poch could have called up Gio for the friendlies only, and let him go back for the Club World Cup. (Why Dortmund want him at the CWC when they are trying to release him, I don't know.) But since Poch was so adamant that he wanted the same players for both friendlies and Gold Cup, he passed on that option. So likely Poch didn't bother asking for Gio's release. And then Dortmund and Juventus released a bunch of Turkey and Switzerland players for the friendlies.
For Kovac, Reyna knows the squad and knows the system while anyone new would have needed to be integrated to both. Bellingham is someone they really wanted and Sunderland wanted a deal done quickly so they don't seem to have had to pay much or even any "CWC window premium" but other targets' may not have been the same. On the financial side, they have to pay his salary until he leaves and leaving him behind to "let him try to get a deal" won't cut it. He's been on the market for months. More than enough time for his agent to find offers and you can be damned sure he'd have been left behind to get one concluded. He wasn't because there wasn't one.