Transfer News: Giovani dos Santos To Los Angeles Galaxy?

Who said Major League Soccer was happy with just three Designated Players on each team. The long established rule that each team can only have three Designated Players seems to be gone with reports coming out of Spain that Mexican international Giovani dos Santos is looking at Major League Soccer and the Los Angeles Galaxy.

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Dos Santos is a 26 year old striker who currently plays his club football at Villarreal in Spain’s La Liga. He has made 58 appearances with the club since joining the club in 2013 and scored 12 goals. Prior to playing with Villarreal do Santos featured for FC Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur, Ipswich Town, Galatasaray, Racing Santander, and Mallorca. In his young professional career he has already scored 44 goals and made 185 appearances.

While his club career has earned Dos Santos some level of recognition it is his work with the Mexican national team that MLS soccer supporters are probably more familiar with. He has won two Gold Cups as part of El Tri and was a part of the under-23 side that won the Gold Medal at the 2012 Olympics. Dos Santos has 17 goals in 86 appearances for the Mexican national team and will be a part of the side that competes in next week’s Gold Cup.

Given his credentials it is understandable why the Galaxy would be interested in him. Ever since losing Landon Donovan to retirement and Marcelo Sarvas to a trade with the Colorado Rapids, the Galaxy have missed that little bit of inspiration on the attacking end. They do have 27 goals which is the most in the league but that number is a little skewed considering that the club has just scored 10 goals at home against two of the worst road teams in the league Portland Timbers (-8 goal differential) and the Philadelphia Union (-11 goal differential).

There is also of course the impact that dos Santos could have at the box office. According to the 2013 Census, over 27% of Los Angeles County residents consider themselves Hispanic or Latino. About 2.5 million residents of the greater Los Angeles area are originally from Mexico, many of whom are passionate supporters of all things El Tri. Have a superstar like dos Santos in the their squad will undoubtedly prove to be an asset at courting soccer supporters who might not normally follow the Galaxy.

It is not necessarily a question of want for the Galaxy but how they can add an additional player of dos Santos’ level based off of the league’s current salary structure. Teams are only allowed to have three Designated Players and the Galaxy already have their three spots filled with Steven Gerrard, Omar Gonzalez, and Robbie Keane.

The Galaxy may have some wiggle room if the league does formally adopt the core player rule that has been speculated to be coming. That rule, as first reported by the Orlando Sentinel, would allow teams the ability to add another top player while at the same time keeping the number of Designated Players at three. MLS accounting at its finest.

Although MLS may be up to their old tricks when it comes to player acquisitions the addition of dos Santos to both the Galaxy and the league would undoubtedly be a coup for both parties. He is still very young, has proven himself to be a marketable name with Mexican supporters, and could provide an immediate offensive punch for the Galaxy.

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