Minnesota United are in need of some attacking reinforcements. Could Club America attacker Darwin Quintero be one of those options and would he be an astute acquisition?
With head coach Adrian Heath recently hinting that “one or two players” could be on the way for Minnesota United, it seems as though exciting times are ahead, especially for an attack-force that could well be bolstered in the near future.
Desperate for reinforcements, Minnesota United have turned their attention to Colombian international and Club América attacker Darwin Quintero, who Club América has apparently been looking to get rid of for some time.
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Head coach Heath and Technical Director Manny Lagos are in Panama for Club América’s match against Tauro FC tonight, with the goal of scouting the 30-year-old Colombian and potentially beginning to put the foundations in for securing a move for the oft-inconsistent attacker.
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Though Quintero is on another level skill-wise from any Loons attacker, he comes with baggage. As talented as he is, he’s gotten a lot of flak from América supporters for a great variance in his performances, even within games, from minute to minute. Moreover, there have been questions regarding his work rate, the ease at which he goes missing and the lack of effort he sometimes shows.
The Minnesota United brass will have decide if Quintero is talented enough to be worth it, considering those issues. Quintero isn’t a Kevin Molino replacement per se, who has just been ruled out of the remainder of the year with an extremely unfortunate ACL tear, but he could help fill the creative void left by Molino with a small formation change.
Quintero can play as a winger, as a striker, or as a second striker. Given the logjam on the wings for United, and several solid options up top, Quintero would probably work best in Minnesota as a second striker, tucked in behind Christian Ramirez or Abu Danladi, where he can create chances for the Loons, as well as convert them.
Quintero is an extremely talented player, but he also relies heavily on his pace, so him being over 30 is another thing Lagos and the coaching staff should consider before bidding for the Colombian. How long can a player whose the wrong side of his prime and relies on athletic attributes continue to perform at the level that he has?
Even with their apparent desire to get rid of him, and all the things going against him at this point in his career, Club América reportedly want about $5M for Quintero, so Minnesota will have to decide if they want to splash that type of cash on a player with such baggage. If they decide to spend that much, convincing Quintero to come to Minnesota to join a club that isn’t expected to challenge for a playoff spot this season is a whole other story.
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It will be interesting to see how this surprising transfer saga plays out, but there are lots of questions that may not provide satisfactory answers.