Red Bulls Off-Season Round-up: Signings & Rumors (Part 1)
By Liam Pettit
The Red Bulls are again looking to reinvent themselves this off-season. With a CCL match in just over a month, the Red Bulls starting XI is anyone’s guess.
Within a matter of days, Red Bulls fans went from sulking about their clubs lack of spending to anticipating the club’s most expensive signing ever. The Red Bulls are still shopping their captain around MLS, and Sacha Kljestan is almost certainly not going to be on the team in 2018.
The Red Bulls are committing to going young, after signing three former Red Bulls II players. And, rumors still continue to come out about young African and South American players.
Will Tyler Adams go overseas?
Where will Kemar Lawrence end up?
Alejandro Romero Gamarra
Back in 2015, the Red Bulls signed Gonzalo Veron from San Lorenzo in Argentina with a lot of hope for the winger. Two seasons later and Veron is gone to rivals D.C United after never reaching expectations.
This off-season, the club went back to Argentina to find talent. The Red Bulls beat out Cruz Azul and blew the bank for Gamarra. “El Kaku” cost the Red Bulls a hefty $6.1 million, with a clause that will give CA Huracan 20% of his future sale. The transfer price for Gamarra will be one of the biggest in MLS history and expectations will definitely be high. The Red Bulls have yet to make the move explicitly official, but Gamarra and CA Huracan have all confirmed the move.
Alejandro Romero Gamarra will likely get signed to a DP contract, but due to MLS age requirements can only make the max salary of $200,000.
Dennis Hamlett is bringing in Kaku to create from the wings and provide service to Bradley Wright-Phillips. The left-winger will fit into the Red Bulls attack quite easily with the departures of both Veron and Grella. The Red Bulls will receive a fit player, with plenty of time to adjust, due to the timing of the move. It will be important for The Red Bulls to ensure Kaku settles into the team. The language barrier and lack of Spanish-speaking players hindered Veron’s stay with The Red Bulls.
Sacha Kljestan
For the second straight year, The Red Bulls are looking to trade their captain. Where will the 2016 & 2017 assist Leader go? Well, every other day it seems like a different club.
LAFC was the original rumor, but since then rumors have spread about a move to Minnesota and most recently to Orlando. Jeff Rueter reported on December 28th, Orlando was “finalizing” a trade, but it appears those talks have stalled over a prospect according to MLSTransfers. The Red Bulls want 19-year-old midfielder, Pierre da Silva, who plays on OCSC B, and is originally from Port Chester, NY.
Dax McCarty went to Chicago last winter to the tune of $400,000 in GAM. The Red Bulls are going to want more money for Klejstan who has shined in his time at RBA. But after Kljestan’s two playoff debacles in 2016 and 2017, The Red Bulls are trying to sell high on the 32-year-old before his value diminishes.
Kemar Lawrence & Tyler Adams
It is likely Lawrence ends up in either France or Turkey. In an interview with The Jamaica Observer, Lawrence stated that he dreams of a move to Europe. Lawrence said, “The move is likely to be France. I won’t say which team right now, but it should be France.” Just Wednesday, a Turkish news outlet reported Turkish powerhouse Fenerbache was scouting Lawrence. Any move for Lawrence will take place in January when the transfer window opens.
Tyler Adams might be the biggest prospect in the USMNT picture as of this moment. At the age of 18, Adams carved a lineup spot for himself and earned a USMNT call-up. According to Kristian Dyer, if Adams leaves, he will end up with RB Salzburg. Though, a report from Calciomercato claimed AS Roma had interest in the New York native.
Red Bulls II Signings
Stefano Bonomo and Florian Valot are moving up to the senior team, after spending a couple of seasons with RB2. The Red Bulls re-signed former RB2 player, Vincent Bezecourt
Bonomo is a big target forward who is getting a promotion after an impressive 2017 where he scored 13 goals. Bonomo may get his shot in 2018 to play alongside BWP and alleviate the offensive burden BWP carries. If Jesse Marsch found a capable striker in Bonomo, he will have the freedom to experiment with different formations.
Valot is also coming off an incredible 2017, with 10 goals and 7 assists. The 23-year-old midfielder is from France and will take up an international spot on the roster. Red Bull II relied heavily on Valot in 2017 for his unselfish play and off the ball movement.
The Red Bulls re-signed creative midfielder, Vincent Bezecourt, just last week after declining his option after the season. Bezecourt earned a promotion to the first team in 2017, after impressing with 11 assists in one season with RB2. The midfielder played in 3 games and tallied one assist for The Red Bulls. Bezecourt will occupy an International slot.
Fidel Escobar and Michael Murillo Back for 2018
Back in November, The Red Bulls completed the transfer of Michael Amir Murillo. Murillo was originally on-loan from Panamanian club, San Fransisco FC.
Just yesterday, Fidel Escobar made public that he was going to stay with The Red Bulls. San Miguelito, a club in Panama, loaned Escobar to The Red Bulls for 18 months last summer.
Rumors and Updates
- The Red Bulls have reportedly signed Jerome Philip, who is 18 years-old out of Nigeria. Philip will likely play for Red Bulls II. The news came from Nigerian soccer news outlet Owngoalnigeria.com.
- According to MLSTransfers, the Red Bulls scouted Mali U-19 striker Lassana N’Diaye. Kristian Dyer wrote an article yesterday on MLS scouts taking a look at Western Africa for new talent.
- Romanian winger Alexandru Ionita is not coming to New York. Ionita declined the New York Red Bulls offer to take up another deal which would keep him in Romania. The Red Bulls submitted a $1.7 million offer for the winger. It will be interesting to find out whether Ionita was a back up option for the bigger signing Red Bull was chasing with “El Kaku”.
- Venezuela U-17 midfielder Cristian Casseres Jr. is still likely to be signed officially in the January transfer window.
- On December 29th, a Colombian sports site reported The Red Bulls and Racing Club are after attacking midfielder, Macnelly Torres. But, at age 33 this move does not sound likely considering the Red Bulls off-season moves to go young.
Next: Perry Kitchen returning to MLS?
In other news, The Red Bulls teased a kit unveiling on January 1st, 2018. The video teaser and caption insinuate a possible black/red Metrostars themed jersey. Or, a throwback to the previously abandoned all Red kit.