TORONTO — Spanish playmaker Alejandro Pozuelo, a former league MVP, is on the transfer as Toronto FC carries on its teardown and rebuild.
A resource, granted anonymity due to the fact the deal had not been announced, verified that the 30-year-old is headed to Inter Miami CF. The resource mentioned Toronto will acquire assets in exchange — reportedly a modest amount of allocation money — but not a player.
Pozuelo, who won MLS MVP honours in 2020, is out of contract with Toronto this summer. At US$4.69 million this year, he is the fourth-optimum paid player in MLS, in accordance to figures introduced in April by the MLS Players Association.
Pozuelo’s departure opens up a designated participant place for Toronto, with speculation that the MLS club has Italian worldwide Federico Bernardeschi, a winger/attacking midfielder, in its sights.
The 28-yr-old Bernardeschi spent the previous 5 period with Juventus, profitable three Serie A titles, two Italian Cups and two Italian Super Cups. He is out of agreement with the storied Italian club.
TFC by now has two Italians waiting around in the wings, with Lorenzo Insigne and Domenico Criscito eligible to make their debut come Thursday’s start of the MLS secondary transfer window. Toronto (5-10-3) hosts the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday.
Toronto’s other two DPs are Mexican defender Carlos Salcedo and Insigne. Salcedo has been sidelined by a loved ones matter of late, with recommendations he could want to return to Mexico as a final result.
Though Pozuelo has been Toronto’s most creative participant, he struggled at times to uncover his purpose below new mentor Bob Bradley, who preferred the Spaniard to go to to his defensive responsibilities as nicely as the attack.
But Pozuelo appeared to have been supplied a a lot more free-flowing offensive role in latest online games, popping up all about the pitch as Bradley appeared for a more fluid attack. Pozuelo has four ambitions in his last five game titles in all competitions.
Pozuelo marked his 100th Toronto visual appeal in all competitions on Saturday in a 2- reduction to viewing Seattle.
At the time once more, Pozuelo was Toronto’s finest attacking danger. He led the crew with 117 touches, finished 91.8 per cent of his passes and was handled about by Sounders tacklers on much more than a number of situations.
Toronto acquired Pozuelo in March 2019 from Belgium’s KRC Genk as a selected participant. In four seasons with TFC, he has 26 targets and 31 assists in league participate in.
At his finest, he was the straw that stirred the Toronto drink, with fantastic eyesight on the field and the ability to unlock a defence with his passing. The Spaniard can also end on his very own.
Pozuelo gained MLS MVP honours in 2020, helping Toronto to the second-most effective over-all file in the league through the pandemic-shortened time. Pozuelo tied for the MLS direct in helps with 10, although finishing tied for eighth in targets with nine in 23 online games. He led the league in blended aims and helps (19), prospects produced (70) and recreation-successful plans (5).
Pozuelo was the only Toronto participant to start out just about every match that time, rating ninth in the league in minutes played (2,015 minutes), missing just 55 minutes of the common year.
Accidents restricted him to 19 appearances in 2021 with one particular goal and 4 assists. Pozuelo, a father of a few, also cited private problems off the pitch for producing previous year a tough a person.
Pozuelo, who has 4 objectives and five helps in 16 league outings this season, has explained he needed to stay to Toronto. Bradley. who doubles as the club’s sporting director, has opted not to communicate on Pozuelo’s agreement position.
Toronto, which concluded next from very last in the then 27-workforce league last year at 6-18-10, noticed 20 very first-crew players shift on in the off-time.
Bradley has used a good deal of youthful talent in the initial fifty percent of this season, with a combined bag of success. There has been good and poor on the subject, with the perception that he was ready for the summer season transfer window to inject more expertise and practical experience.
