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George John's loan spell with West Ham ends with no permanent contract offer.
George John will get his chance to perform in England, after all. The FC Dallas centerback has officially joined English Championship side West Ham United on a two-month loan that could turn into a full transfer if all goes well. John is currently scheduled to rejoin FC Dallas on March 5, but neither side seems intent on that happening.
"We will see how it goes," John was quoted as saying on West Ham's website. "Maybe it will take two or three weeks to give me some time to develop and get back in the swing of things. Hopefully it will be a bit faster but who knows. Hopefully I can impress and get some game time with the first team. I am really looking forward to it."
The Hammers are currently sitting in second in the Championship, which would earn them automatic promotion to the Premiership if that position holds. They are currently even on points with league leader Southampton but just two points clear of Cardiff City and Middlesbrough, who currently occupy third and fourth place, respectively.
No Championship team has allowed fewer goals than West Ham, but John is expected to be able to at least compete for minutes. He's unlikely to break into the starting XI anytime soon, but he could play some valuable minutes as a backup.
John would be leaving MLS after a relatively distinguished career. The 24-year-old has been one of the league's top centerbacks each of the past two seasons and played the most all-competition minutes of any FC Dallas outfield player last season. He recently earned his first call-up to the United States national team, but had to leave camp after the deal with West Ham emerged.
Assuming he stays in England, FC Dallas will have a sizable hole to fill. Ugo Ihemelu was John's most regular centerback partner and while numerous players currently on their roster have some experience there, none of them have played their extensively in MLS. Recently signed Colombian Hernan Pertuz will likely compete with recently drafted Matt Hedges for the chance to spell John.
For more insight into this move, check out FC Dallas blog Big D Soccer.
The George John transfer saga was given a new wrinkle on Monday. According to Steve Davis of Daily Soccer Fix, John is close to moving to West Ham. The twist is that it will be on a loan instead of on a transfer as previously believed.
I don’t have many details, but it looks like the first step here is a loan to West Ham through the end of February. Final details are being sorted now, from what I understand.
Clearly, this is a positive move for John, who was close to joining Blackburn last year before the transfer fell apart. What this means for FC Dallas, on the other hand, is less clear. Reading between the lines a little, this looks like it could turn into a situation where Schellas Hyndman and Co. are in a bit of a pickle.
If all goes well in England, John could be gone for good. But there's still a chance he could end up back in Dallas to play out the final year of his four-year contract. Basically, Dallas will be unable to fully move on from the situation until the MLS season is just about ready to start.
For more on the situation, be sure to check out FC Dallas blog Big D Soccer.
It's been a busy 48 hours for Galaxy defender Omar Gonzalez. First he leaves US Men's National Team camp to "pursue a club opportunity" only to surface the next day in Germany training on a short-term loan with FC Nürnberg. Later on Thursday, photos emerge of Gonzalez on the ground, having his knee examined by a physio with reports of a collision with fellow USMNT player Timothy Chandler. This morning, the bomb drops. Omar Gonzalez will miss the next 9 months with a torn ACL in his left knee.
It's a crushing blow to the Galaxy and an even bigger blow to Gonzalez who was clearly on path to make a move overseas either in the summer or early in 2013. The Galaxy begin their foray in to the knockout stages on the 2011-12 CONCACAF Champions League in early March and the defense of their 2011 MLS Cup title soon after. It was already going to be a challenge with the departure of midfielder Juninho, but the loss of their star central defender is like a solid left hook right after a hard jab on the nose.
Reports say the injury was the result a hard tackle from Chandler in Gonzalez's first training session with Der Club, talk about bad luck considering 2012 is the final year of contract with the Galaxy. Instead of auditioning for a chance to play in Europe, something he was clearly interested in, he'll be off the radar in rehab, though I expect there will still be plenty of interest in the 23-year old defender when he returns.
Gonzalez is already on his way back to the US for surgery and there should be more information about the extent of the injury and his timetable for return once the surgery and further evaulation is completed. He had been scheduled to be on loan at Nürnberg until February 15th. The Galaxy acknowledged the injury in a post on their website while Omar had this to say on Twitter this morning:
Still in shock that this happened. Your support and well wishes will carry me through a strong (and hopefully quick) recovery!
— Omar Gonzalez (@Omar4Gonzalez) January 6, 2012
Omar Gonzalez ditched training with the United States to go on a short-term loan with Nürnberg in the German Bundesliga so naturally when he gets to Germany, he would get injured in his first training session in a collision with an American. No, this isn't a joke. In his first training session with Nürnberg, Gonzalez collided with fellow United States international Timothy Chandler and twisted his knee, forcing him out of training.
FC Dallas could soon be rolling in the riches of a transfer fee. Defender George John is heading back to England to try and land a transfer deal with an unnamed club according to SBNation sources.
John and his agent are in England and could have a deal finalized within the next two-to-three days.
According to sources, the opportunity arose out of nowhere for John - who's agent had said previously this winter that a move wasn't likely to happen for the center back. A deal came up that was right for him and both Major League Soccer and FC Dallas encouraged him to pursue it.
John had previously retired to go to England back in the summer with Blackburn Rovers but that deal fell through in the final days of negotiating. The 24-year old John returned to Dallas and claimed he was set on staying with the club through 2012.
John is in the final year of his MLS contract - which puts him at a great time to get a transfer fee for FC Dallas and the league.
For more on these signings, be sure to check out FC Dallas blog Big D Soccer.
LA Galaxy defender Omar Gonzalez made news last night, departing United States national team camp to pursue a loan opportunity. Today we know where he went. According to FC Nürnberg's website, the 23-year-old defender will join the Bundesliga club for a short-term loan through mid-February.
Nuremberg has several American players at various levels in their organization including USMNT defender Timothy Chandler. Jann George plays on their U23 team, while Antonio Matarazzo and Tyrone McCargo are on their U19 roster.
The news of Gonzalez withdrawing from US camp came as a bit of a surprise to some after he recently made noise in the media about not getting an opportunity to play for the national team. Country-before-club proponents can rattle their sabres all they want, but club football pays the bills and Gonzalez has every right to peruse whatever opportunities are available to him. With only one year left on his contract with the Galaxy, there's been plenty of speculation about his future in MLS.
A solid performance during his loan with Nuremberg could open doors for a possible transfer in the summer. Nürnberg chairman Martin Bader said in the club's statement that they had hoped to make a move for the defender in the summer, but the opportunity arose to acquire Gonzalez came sooner than expected. It certainly feels like an extended trial and a clear message of intent from Gonzalez about his desire to ply his craft outside of MLS.
Gonzalez joined Der Club today in Turkey for training and is eligible to make his debut for Nürnberg on Jan. 21 against Hertha Berlin. Nürnberg is currently in 15th place in the Bundesliga, only two points out of the relegation zone and in desperate need of defensive help to improve their -11 goal differential.
George John and Omar Gonzales have left the United States' training camp in Phoenix, Arizona to pursue club-related matters as each appears to be close to joining a new club. John appears to be on the verge on making a permanent move away from FC Dallas and to Europe, although the club in pursuit is not clear. It is also unclear as to which club Gonzalez could move to, but the LA Galaxy did say that his looking for another club is just for a loan and not for a permanent move.
John has already left the U.S. camp and is currently in Europe negotiating his apparently imminent move. He almost moved to Europe in the summer when Blackburn agreed to a deal with FC Dallas to buy the central defender, but John could not agree with the club on personal terms. Whether this move is a revived Blackburn deal as a replacement for the Christopher Samba, who is rumored to be sold this month, or a deal that will see him play elsewhere remains a mystery. It is no secret that the 24-year-old would like to move to Europe and because he is eligible for a Greek passport work permits are not an issue for him.
As for Gonzalez, there were rumors in December that Club America might take a look at the central defender, but with America having purchased Oswaldo Vicarrondo that looks unlikely. With just two caps to his name, it is almost impossible for him to get a UK work permit, ruling a move to England out, but the rest of Europe or elsewhere in Mexico remains a possibility. Either way, the Galaxy were careful to mention that it would only be an "off-season loan," making it reasonable to assume that he will be back with the club in early March for their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal and the beginning of the MLS season.
With John and Gonzalez out, Jurgen Klinsmann has called in the Seattle Sounders' Brad Evans and Jeff Parke to replace the pair in camp and ahead of upcoming friendlies against Venezuela and Panama. The U.S. will play Venezuela on January 21 and Panama on January 25.
George John Heading Back To FC Dallas After Transfer Falls Through
George John will be playing for FC Dallas in 2012, after all. The centerback's loan spell at West Ham ended without a permanent contract offer, meaning he'll likely play out the final year of his MLS contract before seeking a more permanent situation.
"We’re very excited to have a player of George John’s caliber return to our team," FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman said in a team release. "He has been one of our most consistent players. Without question, FC Dallas is a better team with George John. In speaking with George, he’s very excited to rejoin our team and help FC Dallas compete for a return trip to MLS Cup."
Although clearly not the situation John was hoping for, this has to be seen as a positive for FC Dallas. Now with John, they go from a team with significant question marks on defense to one that could be quite deep. Chances are John won't immediately step into the starter's role, as he has missed the entirety of preseason, but he is one of the league's top centerbacks and should be able to reclaim that spot relatively quickly.
Longer term, it's now more clear than ever that John does not see himself as having a future with FC Dallas. This was the second time in less than a year that a transfer to England has fallen through. Previously, he was close to joining Blackburn but he never actually got to the point of training with them. This time, he was able to train with West Ham for about two months, although he was always facing an uphill battle as West Ham is currently at the top of the English Championship table and has solid players at centerback.
"It was unfortunate that I didn’t get to play, but it really was understandable given the circumstances," said John, who scored a goal in his first Reserve game with the English side. "I hope West Ham continues its good form and gets back to the Premier League. That’s certainly where the club belongs."
For more on John's situation, be sure to check out FC Dallas blog Big D Soccer.
Mar 02 1:14p by Jeremiah Oshan - 0 comments