New York Red Bulls: Assessing the Kaku Situation
New York Red Bulls star playmaker, Kaku, is reportedly unhappy with the way the Red Bulls have treated him. If he leaves, how will this impact the Red Bulls?
After a stint of just one season, left-footed playmaker Kaku could be on his way out of Harrison. Multiple reports have showed that Mexican club Club America have been interested in acquiring Kaku’s services but the New York Red Bulls are asking for $12 million, an asking price Club America reportedly thinks is too high.
However, the rumors surrounding Kaku heading to Mexico are not the only drama that surrounds the circumstances right now.
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Kaku’s agent, Gustavo Casasola, reportedly told ESPN Mexico that the Red Bulls were underpaying his client for a player of his quality and that the club hasn’t lived up to promises it made upon signing him, such as paying for travel costs and living costs, according to a report from Kristian Dyer of The Athletic.
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It’s hard to tell whether or not Casasola is just taking negotiating tactics to an extreme right now. The club posted a video to Twitter on Thursday of Kaku at training, showing that if he is truly unsettled with the club, he is still remaining professional.
This saga of course, comes not too long after the Red Bulls had to deal with more drama of trying to bring him to the club in the first place. Kaku’s former agent, Marcelo Simonian, tried to block the transfer from Club Atletico Huracan and threatened legal action unless he was paid a certain level of commission. The Kaku adventures have been messy, to say the least.
If Kaku does eventually leave for Club America, it will put even more pressure on the New York Red Bulls, already having lost Tyler Adams to RB Leipzig. The Paraguayan led the team with 14 assists and finished third on the team with six goals. His crafty left foot often proved to be the key in breaking down an opponent’s backline. If he leaves, similar to Adams, it’ll be tough to pinpoint one person to sign and replicate his impact
With Marc Rzatkowski now returning after a stint on loan last season, a lot of pressure will be put on him to be one of the primary playmakers for RBNY in 2019. He struggled to get acclimated at first, but when head coach Chris Armas took over in the summer, Rzatkowski found a new gear in the second half of the season. He ended up finishing with two goals and seven assists.
Rzatkowski has a tendency to play wide on the field, rather than Kaku who drifted a lot but stayed centrally. Unless the Red Bulls decide to bring on a bigger name Designated Player, it will truly be a team effort to create in the attacking third. For instance, Danny Royer might have to play in a more creative role coming in from the wing after only finishing with two assists in 2018.
The Red Bulls have some very talented players, Rzatkowski, Royer, and Derrick Etienne just to name a few. But if Kaku leaves, it’s hard to find the true no. 10 on this roster that can link up with Bradley Wright-Phillips through the middle of the field.
Wright-Phillips has always been at his best when he’s had great service coming into him. He’s never been a player to beat opponents with blazing speed, but he makes intelligent runs into channels behind defenses. The key to that style is having players who can play accurate passes into those channels, whether it be from just in behind the Englishman or from deeper spaces in the midfield.
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These somewhat concerning developments are all assuming that Kaku’s move does end up going through. For now, Alejandro Romero Gamarra remains a Red Bull. But if the move to Club America works out, even more pressure will be put on New York’s midfield.