By FRANCO PANIZO
If Sunderland have their way, Jozy Altidore will not be the only talented U.S. Men’s National Team player on their roster this season.
According to Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport, Sunderland have set their sights on Michael Bradley but their bid for him, worth an estimated $8-9 million, has been rejected by AS Roma. The report claims that Roma are intent on keeping the 26-year-old midfielder, but would be willing to seriously consider an offer in the $13-16 million range.
This is not the first time Sunderland have expressed interest in the American midfielder. Back in January 2011, SBI’s Ives Galarcep reported that the Black Cats were lining up a bid to try and acquire Bradley before Aston Villa signed him on a half-season loan from Borussia Moenchengladbach.
If Sunderland were to land Bradley with an improved bid, he would become the second U.S. player to transfer over to the Black Cats this summer. Altidore made the switch from AZ Alkmaar to Sunderland back in early July.
Sunderland have until Sept. 2, the last day of the summer transfer window, to try and reach a deal with Roma for Bradley.
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What do you think of Sunderland reportedly making a bid for Bradley? Would you prefer to see him stick with Roma, or is the thought of seeing him and Altidore playing on a weekly basis together more appealing?
Share your thoughts below.
If they are really after an American midfielder who could play with Jozy and who they could buy, they might want to go after Fab.
Why not just go back to MLS? The Galaxy have been better than Sunderland. That said, it would be nice for Jozy to have some help.
Not sure why he would choose to leave this, except for money. http://espnfc.com/us/en/preview/377307/preview.html?soccernet=true&cc=5901
yep …starting. I have been to Rome. You make 1million/yr and live in Rome. The only reason would be if they would double or triple his wage. Even then, you have to figure that he could go somewhere else more meaningful.
Yikes. The last thing Bradley needs to do is move…and especially to a team who will play meaningless games all season.
We need a sharp Bradley, not one who surved the last half of a season of waste of time at Sunderland.
Should be survived his wasted season at Sunderland…
if i were in a postion like paulo di canio i would first look to find a midfielder who can get you goals and supply the on running forwards to get goals essien from chelsea or rosicky from arsenal both would suit sunderland also a centre forward to join jozy altidore one name would be adyebyor from spurs who is available there is also podolski from arsenal but it all down to what the club want to achieve maybe a top 6 spot and i wont be suprised to have sunderland play all 11 new signing what a intrest that would create
This request was sent in before Today’s game and Sunderlands MF looked even worse than week 1. I wonder if that incents them to up a second bid to the middle ground tomorrow.
Sunderland have a gawd-awful midfield and do not have another striker near the caliber of Altidore. Sunderland need to get away from their 4-4-1-1 and bring another striker up top BEFORE they consider bringing in another midfielder. Bradley can play box-to-box or as a defensive mid, but he is really good at linking with the forwards which is why DiCanio want’s him. Plus Americans have been priced at bargain-bin rates as they do not have the football hype machine that the UK and many other countries in Europe and SA use to drive up the value of good to mediocre players. If Michael Bradley was Italian or English his transfer price would be in the low 20’s. so your going to get bids all the time from the lower tiers of the EPL. American are good value.
If Landon Donovan does not resign with the Galaxy before the end of the season, watch the EPL and other Leagues try to capture him. He will be a FREE TRANSFER, even at 31, he will get a lot of attention..
The real reason to go, of course, is the location. Who wouldn’t want to be in Sunderland?
Even the British press will admit, outside of the top Premier League teams, the game in England is really bad. It’s the huge television deals that give the league so much hype even though the quality isn’t all there. Too many times the ball just gets pinged around hopelessly in the midfield or bypassed all together with long balls. In Serie A, Bradley has been able to hone his technique and keep control of the ball more. Serie A still has work to do with marketing, but the quality of the game focuses more on technique then pure, raw, rough athleticism.
Yeah, that’s probably why Italian clubs keep winning the Champions league year after year. Oh wait…
Seriously, Italian soccer is slow, only in a slow league could 36 year olds score so often. The Best premier teams are fast, strong, and talented. Yeah, Sunderland and the other relegation teams could benefit from players from mid table Italian teams, but that goes both ways. 1 vs 1, 10 vs 10, 18 v 18, my money’s on the English clubs against their Italian counterparts.
Not that winning the Champions’ League is a good barometer for league strength (it’s not), but since 2000 Italy has the same number of winners as England, so if even if your point made sense, it would be wrong.
You misread the statement. Of course the top teams in the Premier League are great, as stated in the first sentence. And Champions League is another argument all together. But if we’re going the age route, when Italy won the 2006 World Cup, they were one of the oldest teams in the world at the time. England isn’t exactly lighting up the world like technical teams such as Spain, Italy, Germany, etc, etc, etc. But I’m talking about honing technical ability, not league appeal. Leagues such as Serie A, La Liga, even the Bundesliga will give the best option of the top leagues in the world for Bradley to become a better technical player. He played in the Bundeslega but wasn’t as mature at the time, and had a falling out with his manager. Look how he’s a midfield general now with the national team after playing in Serie A. Patient on the ball, not going at a reckless pace and just booting it up field like most Premier League teams (NOT all of them, meaning the top teams as you and I agree on). Of course I’d love to see him in a Chelsea, Manchester United uniform, etc. NOT Sunderland, a team that struggles to control the ball. Again, Serie A is really far from the Premier League in terms of appeal, marketing, money (of why many players are going to the top Premier League teams, but barely a fraction of those players on those teams are English, meaning technical players from other countries), but playing for Chievo Verona and AS Roma has really improved Bradley’s game. Like I also mentioned, I’ve read articles where British press members admit the Premier League’s over quality is terrible outside of the top 4-5 teams because they don’t hone technical ability, but the incredible marketing and tv money deals make it the best league in viewing. We can use the analogy of the Dallas Cowboys. Number one franchise in the NFL in terms of money, marketing, appeal worldwide, but doesn’t mean that brings them a championship. If Bradley goes to a top team in the Premier League, I’m all for it. In the mean time, I say stay put at AS Roma.
it doesn’t bring Dallas a championship because the NFL has a salary cap.
Also, Dallas Cowboys don’t have worldwide appeal. No pointy ball teams do.
If you’re taking it literal, then no, not every corner of the world. But to the continents I’ve visited, when I see that rare NFL jersey, Dallas Cowboys most of the time. Drives me nuts….haha
I applaud your argument. I agree too.
Talk about style of play all you want. Personally, I’ll wait for a few more years of no match fixing in Italian football before taking it seriously. When a team with the history and size of Juventus can sanctioned for something like that it’s hard to trust what you are watching no matter how much more skilled or attractive the football is. It’s as big of a turn off to me as steroid era baseball.
nonsense. And i don’t believe the British press says this either.
top to bottom the EPL is the best league in the world.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/premier-league/10062668/Premier-League-thrives-on-stories-not-quality.-This-imbalance-has-to-change.html
the majority of the british sports press fawns over the EPL.
True, but difference between fawning over a league and still not satisfied at the product.
He will be a much better player for us at Roma. I cant speak to his bank account.
Roma play better football. Playing in England for a crap team isn’t gonna make him better. If he was going to Swansea i’d consider it. But he’s ot. Sunderland play crap football. The LA Galaxy would have beat them today. They could use Keane, juninho etc, Villarreal, Donovan, Gonzalez etc. He’ll grow more In italy than on crap sunderland. They had just 32% possession today. Considering Klinsmann wants more players possessing the ball, imposing their will on other teams, passing i don’t see how going to a team that has no ability to do that let a lone simply possess the ball helps him get closer to that.
the LAG would be lucky to win a game if they were in the EPL. They’d come in last place thats for sure.
Completely disagree with that statement. LAG would hold their own in that league. Relegated – NO, Champions League – NO, but I am wiling to bet that they could hold their own with most mid-table teams in the EPL. As a qualifier, I am not one of those who thinks MLS is better than it actually is. However, I can recognize quality when I see it.
they finished 8th place last season in MLS. They would hold their own in the EPL? LOL!!!!!
not to mention, they have three players who could play in the EPL: Donovan, Gonzo, and Keane. And a 33rd year old Keane would not be a starter.
There’s no way LAG would avoid relegation. Anyone who says otherwise is a serious MLS-homer.
LAG traded for and were hoping for production from Rogers. What league did he drop out if?
Terrible trade by it speaks volumes of the true disparity.
League 1
This is comical.
Will be interesting to see if Bradley starts tomorrow.
Why would anybody go to Sunderland? They’re a horrible, horrible team.
money?
They don’t pay enough with english taxes and the career suicide you’ll endure for playing doer, skilless kick and rush football. Relegation here they come.
Well, right now Bradley makes 800,000 euros per year. At Sunderland he could make maybe 50k pounds a week, or over 2.5 million pounds, which is more than 3 times his current salary. Seeing as he really only has 3-4 years left in his prime before he comes home to MLS, he should really be looking to maximize his income.
bingo
I know he makes EUR 800k/year. However, where do you get he’ll make GBP 2.5 million/year? I remember reading that in the 2011-2012 season, the EPL average was GBP 1.2 million/year (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2055140/Premier-League-wages-FIVE-times-Championship.html).
Keep in mind, it’s skewed by the big clubs and really high wage earners. A better number would the median and standard deviation.
Since Michael Bradley is a full International and basically guaranteed to be in the first XI at Sunderland, his wages will be higher than the league average. There are several benchwarmers at Sunderland that earn around 40k per week, so him asking for 50k wouldn’t be outrageous.
No don’t want to see Bradley hacked in the Premiership. Don’t want to see his career get Holden-ed
So very tempting to root for the trade because the USMNT two most talented and important players could play their club ball together consistently…BUT Sunderland looked so bad this morning you have to think its a step back long term for Bradley.
At the rate he’s going Jozy won’t be starting much longer anyway
Really? I thought Jozy did the best he could while being completely stranded on an island by himself. There was the one nice thru ball played to him that he probly could have finished, but the keeper cut off his angle nicely and it would have taken a perfect chip to score. Other than that, the Sunderland midfield was completely dominated and completely dreadful. I hope they can find some upgrades there or its going to be a long frustrating season for Jozy.
If anything this transfer attempt demonstrates Di Canio’s faith in Jozy.
This attempt (and failure) validates US soccer as well.
Agreed with other posters but this sure would be fun to watch and Bradley sure would class up that midfield.
Good attempt.. Di Canio if nothing else has the wheels spinning.
In some ways more so the failure.
No way is Mikey Bradley going to leave Roma this season. I just don’t see it. Maybe after WC 2014 next summer. So I am wondering, are there other USMNT midfielders that could be a good second choice to MB?
Jermaine Jones is in the last year of his contract and Schalke apparently does not want to extend it. And Fabian Johnson also is in the last year of his contract, and last I checked, has not yet extended with Hoffenheim. Both of those players could start at Sunderland. And what about Mix Diskerud, Joe Corona, Jose Torres, Graham Zusi. Sunderland should go after a USMNT midfielder. And the absolute best would be Landon Donovan.
i don’t think i would mind bradley moving on due to the competition for places at roma (de rossi, strootman, pjanic. florenzi, etc) but i dont think sunderland is the right move
God I hope he stays at Roma. They are such a good team. Sunderland looks absolutely terrible in two games.
I could be wrong but the only place I see where they’ve really improved could be pushing him out of any starting role.
pushing who out of what role?
Sunderland and Roma should play each other in a friendly for the rights to Michael Bradley. 6.6
Roma should say “No” unless they get gobs of money. Bradley should do the same. If Sunderland offers gobs of money then “Ka-Ching!” Take the cash and move on.
On a semi-related note. What incentive does Juan Agudalo have to play hard at NE? If I were JA or Stoke I wouldn’t want to risk injury and if I were NE, I wouldn’t want a player that is just going to mail it in. The only way that this works out is if Stoke is looking at JA’s last few months as a de facto loan to NE.
Juan’s incentive is, it’s his last chance to play with actual creative attacking players for at least six months.
SBI show!! It’s time for episode 65!!
Bad move for Bradley. Sunderland is going down.
Seems a little to early to call Sunderland a relegation favorite
A. You’re right. Hard to know yet whether Sunderland will be that bad. Too many new players to say.
B. Some of the hardest-fought soccer is in relegation battles, not in fights for the last Europa League spot.
Sunderland needs a good second striker as well as a Bradley. Sessegon was totally invisible and no support and Ji was only slightly better. Klinsi has finally realized he needs a partner to excel. Maybe Klinsi needs to have a phone call (with a translator) with Di Canio.
JK must speak Italian, no? He was there for like 4-5 years.
Seems like this is the main point (especially as impacts Jozy) – sounds like the return of Fletcher will really change Sunderland. Adding him and Bradley would make that team look really different.
I suspect Bradley will leave Roma only if the money is overwhelming. I think he wants to play soccer at the highest level and that is not Sunderland.
But The Prem is a very good league. If he won’t be first team at Roma, I’d rather him be in top shape every week and create more chemistry with Jozy.
No.
That is all.
If I were Bradley, I’d prefer to stay at Roma.
But since I’m not him, and I’m a US National Team fan, I’d love to see him get 25-30 games with Altidore. The instinctual understanding the two of them would learn should translate very well to the national side. That little edge could make the difference come World Cup time…
And, as mentioned above, Sunderland really needs the midfield help. That was dreadful this morning.
Sunderland are not dreadful but they certainly could use Mikey.
Stay stay stay……….good puppy 🙂
To altidore, stay stay stay in holland, bad boy n runs to sunderland
So do you tell everyone you know to turn down large salary increases or is it just USMNT members?
No but american players r always bought n benched, even if bought for a large amount.
So much depends on Roma and a bid, but what can Bradley do beyond that? I’m sure Bradley is happy at Roma and loves Serie A. Darn good league!!
sunderland need him. di canio needs to be hung.
Do you ever stop to read the things you type?
Sunderland could probably use a player with the composure and ability of Bradley based on this morning’s showing. Their midfield looked pretty pedestrian, and they did not look to have anyone out there that could boss the middle of the pitch. That being said, Bradley has improved for the national team while at Roma, so I don’t mind him staying there unless his playing time completely dries up.
I wouldn’t worry about Bradley’s minutes. People on here like to call him an “occasional starter.” In reality, he played the 9th most minutes on the team, started in 25 of 36 games and appeared in another 6. That’s 70% of the starts. Also, he sat out 2 games injured, with a hamstring I believe, coming off US duty. Then, from that point forward, sat every game immediately following a US call-up.
Occasional Starter, while technically true, tells a story that isn’t quite reality. Not to mention, Rudy Garcia has spoken in glowing terms about Bradley and his importance to the team.
I think the big question is *this* season. They’ve brought in some additional good midfield talent. Bradley is a fighter and was really pretty good last year–I believe in his ability to get on the field there and make a difference and earn a key role.
Jozy complicates things, if he weren’t there I’d definitely say stay at Roma. But with Jozy I think it’s a tossup.
Will he improve more as a regular starter for a bad team like Sunderland or as an occasional starter and regular sub (conjecture–he might start most games) surrounded by better players? He’ll improve in either situation and still be better come World Cup time.
I can only speak from my experience. I always improved playing with and against better players even when I was coming off the bench and starting roughly half the time. I really do not understand why people are wishing for him to leave. He plays a lot and loves it in Italy.
Your case tells us nothing… everybody’s better than you
+1
Bradley’s not “an occasional starter” with Roma. Garcia has said he’s a main guy. If healthy first xi.
He’d play consistently for Sunderland, against strong opposition and with an OK team that includes Jozy. That’s enough for me to wish for the move. He’s just not guaranteed the playing time with Roma, and this isn’t the year to be stuck on the bench. He’s learned enough from two years in Italy to become a great player. He doesn’t need another year there.
Roma has 4 mids and generally 3 positions; he will get plenty of playing time even if he doesn’t start every game. Sunderland look like they could struggle badly again this year, and they only barely escaped relegation last year. Frankly I don’t understand why people are eager to see him at a terrible Premier team rather than a decent Serie A team.
I completely agree with you. The EPL is not the end all be all.
Mikey already has an excellent understanding of the kind of game he would be playing at Sunderland.
And in terms of playing the high tempo game JK is asking for MB90’s fitness is not in question.
There is benefit for the USMNT in that pairing Mikey with Jozy probably makes Jozy more likely to succeed and that can only be good for the USMNT. They should also buy Rossi and have the three Jersey Boys.
But other than a hefty raise, I see little benefit for Mikey. He can play in Serie A until his mid thirties or even later and his soccer IQ has gotten much higher in Italy than it would had he moved to England.
I’m hoping Milan buy him and Landon.
Milan might be a bit of a stretch.
unless it’s not