Toronto FC: Is Alejandro Pozuelo right Sebastian Giovinco replacement?

Toronto FC is pursuing Alejandro Pozuelo as they eye a replacement for Sebastian Giovinco. But is he the right man to succeed the diminutive Italian?

With Sebastian Giovinco’s move to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia now in the past, Toronto FC now has to turn their attention to bring in reinforcements to help aid fill the void left behind.

Reports have indicated that it may be interested in signing Alejandro Pozuelo from Genk in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League. The attacking midfielder appears to be the player Toronto believes can help provide a spark offensively.

Pozuelo is a native of Seville, Spain and has spent his entire professional career playing in some of Europe’s top leagues. He has played in La Liga, the Premier League, and now the Jupiler Pro League.

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Serving as the captain of Genk, Pozuelo’s reported transfer is a hefty one at €10 million. With the Belgian club in the middle of their season, the fee makes sense as they would not only be losing a talented player but one who is invaluable for this current season when they cannot directly replace him until the summer.

Pozuelo has five goals and 10 assists for Genk this season in 24 league appearances. He also featured for them in the Europa League, in which he made six appearances with one goal and three assists.

Genk are top of the table in the Belgian first division and have a 12-point gap on second place. With the Europa League knockout round coming up as well, this move might not go through due to bad timing. From what Genk have coming up, they will need all the help they can get to finish their season strong.

That said, although success could be on the club’s mind, the fact that Pozuelo will be out of contract with them in the summer could mean they will try to get a deal done in order to acquire some last-gasp funds. If they do not sell him now, then he will depart for nothing in the summer.

There’s no doubt that Pozuelo would bring a much-needed spark to Toronto FC, who need all the help they can get from what has been a rather disappointing offseason following a disastrous 2018 league campaign.

The 27-year-old is in the form of his life at the moment, is flourishing at a standard far above that of MLS, and he has all the tools necessary to succeed in North America. He has the creativity and experience to give Toronto balance moving forward and can provide the finishing touch himself when required. But can he replace Sebastian Giovinco, one of the best attacking players MLS has ever seen? They are big shoes to fill.

This seems like the perfect move for Toronto, although the timing of the possible transfer may be too big an obstacle to complete it. If this move goes through then Toronto are looking good heading into the season. Losing Giovinco was disappointing, but Pozuelo could help make up for it.