Alexey Miranchuk has big shoe to fill as he lace his boots up for Atlanta United

Atlanta United was busy during the transfer window offloading players and acquiring the services of new players to inject new life into a resurgent team under the tutelage of interim boss Rob Valentino. Caleb Wiley, one of Atlanta's homegrown talents, was transferred to English Premier League giants Chelsea for around 11 million. Caleb is following in the footsteps of fellow Five Stripe player Miguel Almiron, who Atlanta United sold for a record fee of 27 million to Newcastle in 2019. Almiron went on to be a staple in Newcastle's first 11.  

However, it is reported that 19-year-old Caleb will be loaned out to Ligue 1 side Strasbourg, also owned by the owner of Chelsea, Todd Boehly. Wiley experienced a meteoric rise at Atlanta, tallying six goals and seven assists in 77 regular-season appearances after debuting in 2022. He slotted ninth on the 2023 22 Under 22 presented by the BODYARMOR list. Caleb Wiley has two USMNT caps and was a key player during the United States’ quarterfinal run at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He was instrumental in the USA’s run in the recently concluded Paris Olympics 2024. 

Following Caleb’s move to the Premier League, striker Giorgos Giakoumakis moved on to Cruz Azul after two seasons, scoring 24 league goals from 43 appearances. The striker has so far scored three goals from 5 games in Liga MX. World Cup winner Thiago Almada joined Botafogo in the summer, leaving a gaping hole in a shoe to be filled in the middle of the park for the Five Stripes.  

Almada scored 19 goals and assisted 17 from 52 league appearances. Almeda joined Botafogo for a Major League Soccer (MLS) record fee of around 30 million. Botafogo is part of Eagle Football Holdings, which also operates Lyon of France's Ligue 1 and Crystal Palace of England's Premier League, and it is highly likely he will join Lyon in January.  

On the other side of the business, Atlanta United has signed midfielder Alexey Miranchuk from Atalanta of Italy’s Serie A to a contract through the 2027 MLS season for 2028. Miranchuk will occupy a Designated Player and international roster spot pending receiving his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and P-1 Visa. 

“We’re excited to sign a player of Alexey’s quality at this point in his career from a top league in Europe,” former Vice President and Technical Director Carlos Bocanegra said. “He’s an attacking player who is an excellent chance creator capable of scoring goals. 

 Miranchuk has been a consistent player in Serie A for Atalanta and Torino, where he has made over 370 professional league appearances and over 40 combined appearances in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League. Miranchuk was instrumental in Atalanta winning the Europa League title in 2023-24. Though he wasn't featured in the final, he was a second-half substitute in a 3-0 over Marseille in the semifinals. His elegance, flair and adept ability to score a goal or pick a pass saw him score 63 goals and 70 assists across all competitions.  

Miranchuk started his career in the youth systems at Olimp Slavyansk-na-Kubani and Spartak Moscow. After a few promising seasons mastering his craft, he joined the Lokomotiv Moscow Academy. During the 2012 season he played 12 matches in the youth system before making his senior debut on April 20, 2013.  

Over the eight seasons Miranchuk spent at Lokomotiv Moscow, he bagged 43 goals and made 45 assists in 227 appearances across all competitions, winning three Russian Cups (2015, 2017, 2019), a Premier Liga (2018) and a Russian Super Cup (2019-20). 

During the 2019 season, he scored 16 goals and registered three assists. He caught the eyes of Atalanta’s coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, and picked him up the following season. He spent two seasons with Atalanta, scoring nine goals and eight assists from 56 appearances before Torino picked him up. His time at Torino was short-lived as he spent one season and returned to Atalanta, where he played 42 games, four goals and 12 assists. He closed the season with a Europa Cup winners medal and a 4th place finish with Atalanta in Serie A, giving them Champions League birth

Miranchuk wealth of European experience and his winning mentality is a plus in forming a chemistry between the midfield trio of Bartosz Slisz, Ajani Fortune and Tristan Muyumba