Atlanta United took the term “rebuilding” and literally applied it; few MLS clubs have done such a massive clearing of the roster as the Five Stripes have done this summer, selling three of its best players and possibly looking to offload more.
The days of Tata Martino and that MLS Cup are long gone; the club has fallen into mediocrity, and the rebuild under Garth Lagerwey has truly begun. After meager results, the team is now looking for a head coach and preparing to embark on the summer transfer window with a lot of roster flexibility.
Not only that, but Atlanta United is set to earn a transfer fee from a player who left the club more than two years ago. Here are the total transfer fees that Atlanta United is set to cash in on,
Atlanta United’s Wild Summer Transfer Window
According to Tom Bogert, the following players have been transferred or will be transferred in the coming days:
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- Thiago Almada, the only active MLS player to win the World Cup while in the league, has been sold to the Eagle Football Group and will go to Botafogo for six months before a move to France for a fee of $21 million plus $9 million in add-ons.
- Disgruntled striker Giorgos Giakoumakis was sold to Liga MX side Cruz Azul for $10 million. All that remains is the signature and agreement for defender Caleb Wiley, 19, who will be sold to Chelsea for $11 million.
- Out of the blue, former DP Esequiel Barco will be sold from River Plate to Spartak Moscow, with Atlanta United still set to receive $11 million from the sale of Barco from Atlanta United to River Plate, plus a sell-on fee received from his transfer from River Plate to Spartak Moscow.
Esequiel Barco of River Plate
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What approach Atlanta United will take remains to be seen, as the club may have put the era of big young signings being sold to Europe to rest in favor of more “MLS” win-now signings.
