Atlanta United has yet to receive an actionable transfer offer for standout Thiago Almada, club President Garth Lagerwey said Tuesday.
Almada, 22 years old, finished third in voting for MLS MVP after scoring 11 goals with a league-high 19 assists this season. He has 17 goals and 31 assists in two seasons. He was named Newcomer of the Year in 2022, Young Player of the Year this season and was named to the league’s Best 11.
Almada was quoted by a journalist in Argentina on Monday as saying that he wants to go to Europe, now. Almada has said consistently, even before he signed with Atlanta United while he was with Velez Sarsfield in his native Argentina, that his dream is to play for a club in Europe.
“I take it as a compliment that Atlanta United has players of that caliber,” Lagerwey said in an exclusive interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We’ve had good conversations with Thiago. As we’ve talked about in many forums, it’ll be a mutual decision. It’ll be what does he want to do, and what’s the value we’re getting. We’re really proud of him for finishing third in the MVP voting. That’s a tremendous accomplishment.
The next transfer window for clubs in Europe will open in January. Atlanta United is expected to receive at least $25 million for Almada. Atlanta United will open training camp in January.
Lagerwey said the Almada situation reminds him of one that he would often experience with Nico Lodeiro in Seattle, when both were there. Lodeiro would speak to a journalist in Uruguay, and would say he wants to play in Europe. Lagerwey said he would be worried about Almada if journalists were no longer asking him about his aspirations because it meant he may not be playing as well.
Lagerwey said the club has not heard from centerback Miles Robinson about whether he intends to sign a contract offer that was extended more than 18 months ago. Robinson is out of contract.
“We are at a stage we’ve had two years of conversations with Miles, again a situation that well predates me,” Lagerwey. “We have to move forward with the best interests of the club. There are no lines in the sand, but we just can’t afford to wait anymore.”
Lagerwey said he expects the new transfer window will be another bumpy one as the team attempts to offload a few more contracts so that it can fulfill Lagerwey’s goal of putting itself into position to achieve sustainable success.
Lagerwey said the club will look to add two centerbacks and a defensive midfielder. In addition to Robinson’s likely departure, the club declined to pick up the loan option on JuanJo Purata. The club has two centerbacks signed, one of which is Homegrown signee Noah Cobb. The other is Luis Abram.
Lagerwey said he has no preference if Vice President Carlos Bocanegra pursues additions through MLS free agency, which opens Dec. 13, or through transfers. He said the goal is to sign players who are in their prime, typically between the ages of 24-29.
Lagerwey said the club is going to handle the Under 22 Initiative space differently than it has in the past, which is in part why he expects the coming personnel window will again be bumpy. Those slots currently are occupied by Santiago Sosa, Franco Ibarra and Edwin Mosquera. Sosa’s guaranteed compensation this season is $693,100, Ibarra’s is $620,000 and Mosquera’s is $412,000. Mosquera’s signing could be considered a success because he scored four goals in 12 appearances. Sosa barely played in the final 10 matches after Tristan Muyumba was acquired. Ibarra was sent on loan to Toronto midway through the season.
“We’ll continue to work in that space to try to get to where we want to get and get the right balance at that one,” Lagerwey said. “Part of my overall philosophy is that when you’re scouting in that number’s (22 and younger) space ... it’s harder space to succeed because there’s less data, right?”
Lagerwey said he doesn’t think the team will be able to get down to one Under-22 player on the roster for next season. He said the club still will try to work in that space, but doing so will require that one of its Designated Players, likely Saba Lobjanidze, will be a flexible DP whose salary can be bought down. That is necessary because MLS rules tie the number of DPs a team can sign to the number of Under 22 Initiative players it has signed.
The team also must figure out what to do with Derrick Etienne, who signed as a free agent last season, has guaranteed compensation of $676,250 and didn’t score.
“Really trying to be a little bit more constant, a little bit more steady, just trying to be strategic and long term,” Lagerwey said. “And like I said on my first press conferences, I’m patient to the point where I will frustrate you at some point, but I’m pretty steadfast.”
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