Atlanta United manager Frank de Boer said the team is looking for a striker to replace the injured Josef Martinez, but said the MLS salary budget is among many obstacles to the search.
Martinez suffered a torn ACL in last week’s win against Nashville. Atlanta United will host Cincinnati on Saturday.
“We want to try to get him, but don’t want to make a rash decision,” de Boer said. “We are looking very sharply at the market for a player that is suitable for us, but we have to deal with the salary cap that has a great influence. All combined it makes it not easy.”
Atlanta United is thought to have one spot remaining on its senior roster.
The team has one striker, Adam Jahn, who played last year for Phoenix and scored 17 goals in USL. The team has also reportedly signed former Columbus player J.J. Williams.
De Boer said he’d like for the team to sign a striker whose skill set more closely resembles Martinez’s because he’d like to have the versatility. Jahn is a taller striker who keeps thing simple but effective, according to de Boer.
“We need two weapons and not the same type of striker,” de Boer said. “It’s not so easy to find strikers like that. To replace Josef is a very big task.”
De Boer said the team would also consider taking a striker on loan, which makes financial sense because he joked that the good strikers don’t come for $10.
“You have to put a lot of money and we don’t have that,” he said. “The salary cap limits us. We have to be inventive. Hopefully we can find one.”
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