After Friday’s news of Stoke City pursuing FC Dallas winger Brek Sea, reports came out yesterday that Shea was at FC Dallas training. Now, reports are coming out that MLS has rejected the offer (since they must approve all player sales) from Stoke:
It appears the deal to bring the FC Dallas midfielder to England has hit a snag over his valuation, despite the two clubs agreeing a fee in the region of £2 million.
Under American rules, that figure has to be ratified by Major League Soccer, and ESPN understands the MLS wants a transfer fee almost double that which had been agreed.
The MLS has intervened to place a higher valuation on Shea because of his age and potential, despite him still needing to prove he has fully recovered from an operation to remove a bone from his right foot.
And:
So, word has been passed to me that MLS has now rejected Stoke in their quest for Brek Shea. Reading between the lines, if true, that would mean the Potters made a second offer that FC Dallas accepted.
Shea is currently recovering from surgery and isn’t expected to be fully healthy until February. That alone made a transfer somewhat surprising— he had a down 2012 and could potentially fetch more this year if he had a strong and healthy start to 2013. Shea has famoulsy feuded with FC Dallas manager Schellas Hyndmann so you have to wonder how much Shea would enjoy a return to Frisco.
MLS of course rejected Stoke’s initial bid for Geoff Cameron (after Houston had agreed on it) before eventually selling so who knows what direction the saga will head next.
I do think that MLS is likely to overvalue Shea because if he leaves, you’re running low on marketable Americans in the league.
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The MLS need to let young players like Shea go, not be stolen but sell them and give them a chance to show the world the kind of talent the United States can turn out. The more American talent overseas, the more people watching Americans overseas on TV, the more people well watch and attend games in their own back yard. That’s how the league grows.
I have a sneaky suspicion that Brek would not get much playing time at Stoke, clearly they are thinking more towards next year.
I’m calling this what it is More MLS propaganda hyping Brek Shea. It’s all to raise hype on an injured Shea.
I think Shea means more than 2million dollars to MLS. He is very marketable: tall, blonde, entertaining in public. Most of the games he plays he is the most exciting player on the pitch. He is the pro face of a soccer market that MLS and USSF quite frankly should be getting more of (okay dempsey is, but shea is a close and much more accessible second).
Raising hype on an injured player does what? Lowers the prices of the next few players to come out of the league because there’s a lack of respect for top players in the league.
MLS probably doesn’t want to see Shea go. He’s worth more to the league and marketing than he is just as a player. MLS knows they can’t just dilute their talent pool just yet. Other leagues have the fortune of dropping players without a second thought.
I think Trevor and danilil are correct in pointing out Shea’s marketability. If Shea leaves, the only really exciting/marketable American players are probably Agudelo (who has disappointed) and Donovan (who doesn’t want to be here). For a league that has struggled with TV ratings and starpower, that’s not particularly good.
Agudelo is likely going to ship off soon. Im hoping to Celtic. Donovan is a star and always will be, like it or not. As for American players–Agudelo and Brek didn’t exist as marketing tools for MLS prior to 2010. More young Americans will follow.
@Trevor I agree. With Shea being injured and out of form the MLS is having a hard time marketing Shea. Putting an injured Shea up for sale gets people talking, and Stoke City attempting to purchase Shea for a cheap price creates hype around Shea while he recovers from injury. If Stoke wanted Shea so bad they would have bought him last year. Shea is recovering from injures and a bad MLS season, this EPL rumor is positive energy for Shea.