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Derby County buying spree could doom its Americans

Derby County, the last place team in the English Premier League, is on a serious buying spree and its pending acquisitions may just signal the end of any current or future American presence on the club.

Derby has signed French left winger Laurent Robert and central midfielders Robbie Savage and Hossam Ghaly leaves the futures of Eddie Lewis and Benny Feilhaber in serious doubt. Derby also signed Argentine forward Emanuel Villa, which could signal the end of the club’s lengthy pursuit of U.S. national team forward Eddie Johnson.

The moves shouldn’t come as a surprise for Feilhaber, who had struggled for playing time all season. Now, with Ghaly and Savage in the mix, Feilhaber should be looking for an exit sign ASAP. Derby’s acquisition of Robert comes as more of a surprise and raises questions about the fate of Lewis, who has actually played well for Derby. Might he be slotted for a move to left back? If not, you can’t imagine that Lewis has interest in sticking around as a reserve.

What is next for the Americans? Feilhaber needs to be playing and if that means a move to a Coca-Cola squad like Watford or Sheffield Wednesday then so be it. Another half season of minor minutes would be a disaster for a developing player like Feilhaber.

Lewis’ situation is a little more simple. He’s a veteran who can still contribute and it wouldn’t shock me to see him move to another lower table club in the EPL, unless Lewis decides that its time to come back to the United States. With San Jose ready to return to the league, Lewis might be best served by preparing for that move back to MLS.

The big winner in all this is Johnson, who made one of the smartest moves any American player ever made when he turned down Derby’s transfer bid last summer. With bigger clubs now lining up for Johnson, he is poised for a much better move.

What do you think of the situation for the Americans at Derby? What should they do? Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I’m a derby fan and i’d just like to point things out. Firstly, Robert and Ghaly will only be with derby until the end of the season, unless they somehow stay up. Also, with derby probably going down it is unlikely stephen pearson will stay making feilhaber a certain starter. And derby are still looking to EJ to partner Villa. If EJ has no further offers, a move to derby, if only to impress bigger clubs may be smart. Especially as MLS is rated so lowly in England. And trust me, in derby he would be a HERO.

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  2. Please recall that the other team that Benny was considering when he signed with Derby was Racing Strasbourg in France. Everyone said that they looked like a team ready to go back down, that the Premiership will develop his game better, that he’ll make more money at Derby, and we’ll even get to see him on TV as a bonus. Well, Strasbourg is in the top half of Ligue 1, Benny’s not playing so there goes his game improvement, us seeing him play, as well as any incentive pay he receives from playing.

    Personally, I think the French league is perfect for his style. The league works well for numerous African, Swiss, and France national team players…why can’t it work for one of our young up and comers?

    Right now I’d kill for him to make it into Ligue 2, due to the perception of him being damaged goods. Word to Benny: AVOID ENGLISH FOOTBALL…it doesn’t suit your style!

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  3. The problem is that Derby will want to recoup its transfer fee and few clubs will pay the 1.5 million Euros he was bought for by Derby. So I think he may be stuck at Derby unless they think he’s hopeless even at the Championship level (should they get relegated) and cut their losses.

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  4. Feilhaber should consider going to a club in Portugal. He already speaks the language and it would greatly help his development. If he establishes himself on a team there, he could definitely springboard himself back into the top European leagues.

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  5. feilhaber is a moron. When he left HSV I told everyone it was a horrible move and they said I was nuts. Excuse me while I shred my rotator cuff patting myself on the back.
    He was making inroads at HSV, albeit slowly, and they are a bigger club in every sense of the word than Derby county will EVER be (that praise is coming from someone who ABHORS HSV btw)
    Benny should move to MLS for a season or to a top Colaship side if he insists on staying in England. Personally, I think his game is more suited to Germany, Spain or Italy but…
    Either way, as far as I’m concerned he should be dropped from the USMNT until he is getting significant time somewhere. The last 2 times he played for us, he looked horrendous. He is losing his spot quickly.

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  6. Benny would not do well for himself by coming to MLS. The best fit for him would be a team in the Netherlands or Portugal where teams are willing to let him takes his lumps. (A nice central pairing with M. Bradley @ SC Heerenveen would be a good fit) He has not played all that well for Derby and there is too much money at stake for Derby to let him learn the Prem. Eddie Lewis is a contributer in the Derby side and I can see Jewell keeping him on the bench. Look for Eddie to be a impact sub for Derby and then come home to MLS after this year.

    Eddie Johnson is a talent that also needs to start somewhere other then the Prem. He needs to devolop and get to know the game over there before he settles. I would like to see him in a Celtic shirt for 2 years then give the Prem. a chance. But based on reports he is going to chase the money in the Prem., stunt his soccer growth because he is not good enough, yet and become the next Kroviski (spelling).

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  7. It seems like almost everyone agrees that Feilhaber should go to a Championship side or come to MLS… England isn’t the only country in Europe with a quality soccer league, he can also develop in Spain, Portugal, France and the Netherlands, if he can find playing time for a mid-table team there then his development should come along faster.

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  8. TBrodie, thanks for that. If you ask me, that seems like recap of Fulham USA posters and their “sources”.

    If he moves on more power to him, I simply don’t see him going to a Premiereship team.

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  9. Didnt realize Savage and Ghaly signings were official already. In Jewell’s defense, Feilhaber looked bad the few times he’s stepped on the field, imo.

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  10. Hey Ives, sorry for the random post, but any word on the new RBNY practice facility getting underway – they didn’t have to buy half of that from AEG right…

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  11. This is ridiculous. Derby needs center backs. Moore and Davis are pure crap.

    Yeah Lewis is a little slow but he sends in Beckham-esque crosses from the left.

    I still can’t believe Feilhaber is not seeing playing time and will be hard-pressed to make the bench now! His play and touch is silky smooth and he hustles like hell. Why doesn’t Jewell see that? WTF!?!?

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  12. I think Benny should come to MLS because he can play major minutes with whatever team picks him up. That’s what this kid needs right now with his National Team hopes hanging in the balance. Sitting the bench in Europe won’t open any eyes. But if he comes to MLS and has a monster year, not only will he raise his National Team stock, he will also draw interest from Europe again.

    As for Eddie Johnson, he deserves a shot in Europe, and I’ll wholeheartedly disagree with poster Steve T about him being a “lost soul” at any level above League 1 in England until I’m proven otherwise. I’m not a HUGE Johnson fan, but I think he can score goals in Europe. Like I said, I could be proven wrong…we’ll see.

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  13. I think Feilhaber essentially being forced out of Derby is actually good for him. Derby is a sinking ship like some of the other commenters said, if he could get on an up and coming Championship side or move to another Euro league he would be much better off. I would love it if he came back to the MLS, but I just don’t see him doing that.

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  14. I find it very hard to believe that any club bigger than Derby would line up for Eddie Johnson. He is MLS quality, and will be a lost soul in any football above league 1 in England.

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  15. These moves still won’t keep Derby from the drop.

    What am I missing about Fielhaber? He isn’t going anywhere. He needs to stick around and fight for playing time on this sad squad. He has failed twice now (Hamburg and Derby) at breaking through. Running to another lower club isn’t the answer. BTW – I think his whole decision to go to Derby in the first place was that it was a small enough club that he could get playing time. I know they added a few players, but seriously, he just need to work harder to get a peak. Also, I don’t think they have any interest in selling a cheap, young, developing player. They wouldn’t get much in return and they probably still beleive her can get better.

    Agree with yo on EJ. Derby would have been a bad choice. He might thrive in a kick and run / long ball team in the lower EPL where he can run by a few guys and slot some goals home.

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  16. Eddie would quickly find himself on the bench at Reading. Kitson and Doyle are professional forwards who are both better than EJ at this point.

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  17. Laurent Robert is extremely talented, but is a bit of a wack job. He always finds a way to wear out his welcome quickly so I wouldn’t write off Lewis at Derby just yet.

    Feilhaber should definitely seek a move, even if it’s only a loan for the remainder of the season. He just needs consistent PT and he’s not going to get that with Derby. Quite frankly, he really doesn’t deserve it. He has not been impressive in his limited performances.

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  18. If Benny could get on and play for a Championship side that has a good shot at promotion – West Brom, Watford, Bristol City, Stoke – I think that would be great for him.

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  19. I think Benny should sign for a Spanish side where he can better exploit his technical talents. The Premiership is still a few years away for him.

    EJ should go to Reading or Benfica if he has the opportunity.

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  20. EJ does look smart for avoiding the mess that Derby County is in right now. Hopefully he’ll sign with a bigger club that doesn’t have the pending regulation cloud hanging over their heads.

    I don’t know what this means for Eddie Lewis, because we don’t know what he wants. Does he want to play in a top-flight league still? Or is he ready to come “home” so to speak and play his twilight years in MLS?

    As for Feilhaber, when he made the move to Derby County I said it was a bad move and I still think it is. He overestimated his ability to adapt to Premiership football, underestimated Derby in the sense that he probably felt he could just walk right into the 1st team squad, and let the Pound Sterling signs blind him. This was a bad move for Feilhaber and if something good does happen to come up in this transfer window, perhaps he should take it.

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  21. Feilhaber ought to transfer to Watford, he would play half a season in Championship and they appear sure to be promoted. That or DC United, but I am biased.

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  22. Is Ivan Guerrero better than Eddie Lewis? (just asking – would love Lewis back stateside in any regard).

    Feilhaber should seriously consider MLS, at least for 2008. Benny needs to work out a deal that allows him to play some minutes this summer.

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  23. If Feilhaber’s options now only include going down to a Championship side, why would he not consider coming into MLS for a season and use that to find a way back into the European mix? Now that the MLS purse strings are loosening a bit these players should consider coming home for a season or two before going down to a lower division

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  24. Ives, other than crappy British websites, who is saying EJ is going anywhere? Cause the % of transfers that are acccurate and/or right in the British papers is under 20% (an independent website did a study last year).

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