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Should New England sell Taylor Twellman?

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                                                          Photo by ISIphotos.com

Jozy Altidore left. So did Brad Guzan. Juan Toja could be leaving soon too, as could Kenny Cooper.

As the list of MLS players set to make moves to Europe continues to grow, one name not on that list is Taylor Twellman, the New England Revolution striker who had his bid for a multi-million dollar move to Preston North End rejected last winter.

Preston North End is still interested in Twellman, and sources tell me the English club would be willing to at the very least match the $3 million offer it made in the winter for Twellman. No offer is going to be made though as long as it looks like the Revs and MLS won’t realistically consider a bid.

When New England turned down the offer for Twellman in the winter it was easy to understand. Twellman had been the focal point of the Revs offense for years, so replacing him seemed impossible. The only problem is New England has essentially done just that this season, posting the best record in MLS despite the fact that Twellman has played just three games this season (and started none) due to an assortment of injuries.

So the question is a simple one. Should New England let Twellman go and sell him to Preston?

The simple answer, at least as far as the Revs are concerned, is no.

You could argue that situations have changed since the Revs turned down Preston last winter. New England now boasts a forward stable including Adam Cristman, Kheli Dube and Kenny Mansally, who have all looked good, with Cristman and Dube being real revelations this year. With Pat Noonan ready to return to MLS, New England could conceivably sign Noonan to replace Twellman (though I’m hearing Noonan isn’t in a hurry to come back to play for the Revs).

That said, you can’t argue with the fact that Twellman still has two more years on his current deal after this season, and you also can’t argue that for all the success New England has enjoyed this season none of its other forwards are playoff tested the way Twellman is. With the hunt for that first MLS Cup still under way, the Revs probably aren’t in a rush to do anything that might make a return trip to the final (and first victory in the final) tougher.

The Revs were probably hoping Twellman’s European aspirations would eventually find their way to the backburner in the same way Shalrie Joseph’s did. The only problem is Twellman has been injured most of the season and has had plenty of time to think about the ‘what-if.’ Couple that with the seeming ease that a player like Kenny Cooper has had with getting into position to make a transfer move and you have a situation that has to be grating on Twellman.

Does Twellman still want to leave? You can bet your British Pound on that one. He is 28 years old and still sees this as his last chance to make a move to a quality European league. While I won’t go as far as Sepp Blatter and call the situation a form of slavery (like Blatter did when discussing Manchester United’s unwillingness to sell Cristiano Ronaldo) I can understand Twellman’s frustration.

Which brings us back to the original question. Should New England sell Taylor Twellman?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Yes, they should sell him: He wants to go, the Revolution have proved they can win without him, and it would eliminate the Mickey Mouse b.s. where the League points its finger at the Revs saying they’ve blocked the move while the Revs point right back at MLS saying they’ve scupered the deal.

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  2. Guys, lets get a few things straight. PNE play in the Championship – one league below the premiership. Foe the last six or seven years, we have been knocking on the door of promotion. Last year was a blip for us (due to having a poor manager who was replaced mid season) but we recovered to finish mid table under our new manager. Whilst PNE may not be a glamour club, any good player who signs for us knows there is a chance that they will end up playing premiership football with us – how big that chance is, is up to interpretation. Aside from promotion through us, remember Brian McBride played for us prior to playing for Fulham so we must have helped his exposure. Also, Eddie Lewis played for us after leaving Fulham and he went on to play in the premiership again for Derby. I can tell you that this ‘transfer’ saga has been frustrating for all PNE fans as we would love to see TT playing for us. I understand that TT failed to insert a get out clause in his contract but I also feel for the player. I mean, none of us are perfect and we all make mistakes in our lives. Over here, if a player that can be held to a contract gets disillusioned because a bid from another club he wants to join is rejected, it can often transpire that the player loses motivation (or sulks, if you like). Consequently, on balance, it may be in everyones best interest to forget what they can force the player to do and to concentrate on doing what is best for everyone in the long term.

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  3. If the MLS won’t acknowledge there’s a bigger world out there, I will keep refusing to watch and bad mouth the league to others.

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  4. I always think of a forward duo as 2 opposites, and I’m not saying that Noonan being slow is a good thing, but the fact that he’s a smart, gritty, flair forward rather than a burner like Mansally/Dube/Cristman is a definite good thing. He brings something different to the table, and as much as you may think he’s slow, look at the stats. The fact is the guy scores goals, and his teammates score too. I wonder how Taylor would be doing without him if he was playing . . .

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