The Portland Timbers could be losing creative flair in midfield as they look to rebound from a rough 2016 season.
According to the Scottish Sun, Celtic is making significant process in securing a deal for U.S. men’s national team midfielder Darlington Nagbe, with the rumored cost at €3 million. Nagbe has been linked with the Scottish club for quite some time, and he attended the club’s UEFA Champions League match with Barcelona right before Thanksgiving.
The January transfer window opens in just over a week, and Nagbe could be one of the top items on the shopping list of Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers, according to the report. Celtic currently sits 14 points ahead of rival Rangers atop the Scottish Premier League table.
If Nagbe were to move to Scotland, he’d gain exposure in Champions League matches. He would also join Perry Kitchen and Bjorn Johnsen at Hearts as the Americans plying their trade in Scotland.
$5million is fair. If transfer players out should be something benefits both team and MLS.
I remember the old days when USMNT fans were salivating about the prospects of Nagbe getting a chance with the nats. Now that we got to seem him, everyone is pretty much “meh”. Always looking for the next new shiny thing…
Hate to disagree with you but “meh”??? He showed his quality when he was allowed to play under JK, and that’s the problem, he wasn’t given much of an opportunity for whatever reason! Clearly Juergen was fired because he continued to make poor decisions with his rosters and tactics. I think Maybe will be given more open opportunity to shine under BA and I’d be willing to bet it’ll bare fruit for the program
What? So the player takes no blame for his play. I am a Nagbe fan, but…BUT he had a bad year this past season. He was inconsistent on the club and national team level. He let himself get surpassed by Pulisic and Sacha. Klinsman favored him over Sacha and spoke of it, but he did not show enough this year. He had a bad year. It happens. However, he got beat because US is starting to develop enough mediocre level attacking -midfield talent on the international level in this generation.
“Meh” is too funny considering Nagbe was not an unknown or recycled player. Off the top of my head in this summers tournament I believe Nagbe had to two incomplete passes, a goal, and an assist in limited minutes. He has succeed at every level winning championships in college and MLS.
He is not a rah rah kill himself sliding out of bounds for a non recoverable ball type of player. JK would consider lacking the grit he looked for on wing. Nagbe has always let his play do his talking and would not be surprised if he stood up to Juergen this past fall for not using him. So much of the media and Jurgeons camp treated him like a kid a “new shiny thing.” When he is 26 a father of two kids and stuck around the US so he could receive his citizenship and play for the USMNT. He values his family, citizenship, and the team he plays for!
Nagbe’s personality, temperament, and skill mirrors Barry Sanders in many respects. An introvert on the field, yet direct and to the point of doing his job. Doing amazing things with the ball with incredible body lean and balance. Always getting up from a tackle with little anger or reaction with exception of the deJong tackle, yet he still did not react with anger
The most important facet of this transfer that nobody has mentioned is that Nagbe will have to cope with the sometimes overwhelming and crushing expectations of over Celtic fans, real football fans. Over 60,000 of the most passionate fans in football. They will rip you to pieces of you do not perform. No understatements. You want to talk about not being able to go to shopping mall after a bad game?..Takes real balls to stroll into Celtic park and put in a good shift every other week. The type of balls not many American players have, let’s be honest. Good luck Nags, gonna need it. Even if Celtic are 14-17 pts clear at all times, ha.
Perspective! Nagbe is a team player and his ball skills impact every game he plays. The Timbers backline and center mid positions were a revolving door all season. Nagbe’s offense suffered while his defensive responsibilities grew. He often is the guy that flips the field from the defensive third to the offensive third. No one in MLS is as complete a player with the ball at his feet when it come to gaining possession and flipping the field! Too often and to the detriment of his offensive impact Nagbe would hand the ball off when in the offensive third and look to position himself to cover defensively. Also, Nagbe often played balls to the feet of teammates who did nothing from that point forward. Look at his consistent high passing percentage, duals won, how often fouled. His talent was really evident when surrounded by talented USMNT players. Put Nagbe in the middle or on the wing and allow him to play more in the offensive third or just use him to flip the field and get your team on the ball that is what he does and does extremely well.
I think his value to the Timbers is 5 million and the Scottish league is more of a lateral move competition wise. However, it is a more high profile league and gives him more exposure.
If MLS wants to be taken seriously it can’t be losing its better players to a crap team like Celtic or a crap league like the Scottish Prem.
Portland, you would be idiots to let him go. Pay him. The fan base is fine with winning every other year. The fan base will not be fine with losing every year.
The 3 millinon pounds (not Euros SBI put in the wrong symbol, about 3.7 million US) is the transfer fee MLS would receive no report I could find on what Nagbe’s contract would be. That seems reasonable considering he is 26, its about longevity and resale not his ability to get better.
Nagbe has been up and down with the Timbers and has been forced to play out wide not his natural position because of Valeri playing centrally. If he wants to go and MLS can get a fair price let him go. I don’t remember how much of that fee goes to Portland, but they could use it to sign a natural winger that might actually make them better even if that player isn’t as high of quality as Nagbe.
Yeah, I would do my best to hold on to him.
The remainder $3mil (minus what MLS takes) doesn’t do as much to help the team as holding on to Nagbe.
3 million? really?
so, how much would you pay for him? he’s 26, so you can’t expect much of an imporvement, and his goal scoring record isn’t going to excite everyone. He’s a solid creative type player, but he’s not going to set the world on fire, and goes missing for long stretches of games/seasons.
I would step up and pay him. I hear what you are saying Patrick and I don’t disagree, except that people do improve after 26, especially mentally, like disappearing……but he is the talent. A 26 year old talent. A 26 year old talent that can win MLS Cup, which has already happened.
How much would you pay for that? Whatever you can. You can make the $3 million Euros in merch sales after you win a second MLS Cup and you didn’t have to pay to bring in another talent.
I think Nagbe is a bit overrated, he doesnt impact the game as much as you would like from a player who offers little in the way of goals or direct assists. People fall in love with his great touch and smooth/calmness on the ball and for good reason but he seems to be a twenner in the since he doesn’t produce like a attacking mid or have the qualities you would want from a deep lying play maker. Hes a great soccer player though just not sure his best position.
I don’t think that you and are thinking much differently ATX_C, but coming to the exact opposite conclusions.
Maybe the difference is, I value his D. He plays it and plays it well for an attacking player. Also, I think he is the best counter attacker out there for the US. Something we haven’t seen in a mid since Donovan left a few years or days ago.