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Where is Eddie Johnson heading? (And other MLS transfer talk)

Eddie Johnson is ready to go.

The Kansas City Wizards forward is set to pack his bling and make the move to Europe now that the European transfer window is open. The question is where will he go? Clubs all over England have been linked to the U.S. national team striker. Newcastle showed some interest while Manchester City, Fulham and Middlesbrough are among other teams linked to a bid for Johnson.

Will the Wizards let Johnson go? In a word, yes. KC isn’t going to stand in Johnson’s way and will gladly rake in what should be a very healthy transfer fee. Just how much of a transfer fee Johnson will draw remains to be seen, but you can bet it will be one of the larger ones ever paid for an MLS player (thanks in part to the weakened dollar).

One player who won’t be going is Michael Parkhurst. As SBI reported in November, rumors of Parkhurst’s imminent departure were premature to say the least. The MLS defender of the year had been linked to Fulham, which did make an inquiry about Parkhurst, but the young central defender is set to play out the final year of his contract and will be in prime bargaining position heading into 2008.

The Revs did suffer one transfer loss as midfielder Andy Dorman bolted to Scottish club St. Mirren on a free transfer. Dorman’s departure was inevitable considering he was out of contract, sports a UK passport and was coming off a horrendous second half of the season with New England. Whether Dorman’s European dreams distracted him, or he just regressed as a player, Dorman will have to regain the form he enjoyed last spring of he wants to last beyond a year in Europe.

That’s all for now on the MLS transfer front. I’ll check back in as soon as more news develops.

What do you think of Johnson’s potential move? What club would best suit Johnson? Are you shocked to see Parkhurst stay? Share your thoughts on any of these topics below.

Comments

  1. The KC Star is reporting the Wizards have traded Nick Garcia to SJ for the #1 overall pick. Looks to me like Johnson is probably headed to Fulham. With Movsisyan gone as well I would expect the Wizards to pick a forward. Or maybe they can actually use a DP slot on a forward this year.

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  2. In terms of playing time probably Boro would be his best bet. Johnson skill set is similar to Torres’ in that he is a tall pacy striker who also is very strong so he can run onto a ball and win a header. Not saying he is as good as torres, because he is very far, but his skill set is very similar. As for his work ethic it is questionable, but I liken it to Randy Moss he needs to be inspired and I think still being in the MLS was making getting at johnson and he started to become complacent. I think finally transferring him to Europe is going to give him the swift kick in the rear he needed.

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  3. I think Johnson can only be successful if he starts out small at only a club where the manager gets a kick out of nuturing talent. If the coach is just a tough guy I can’t really see Johnson sticking it out. I know there is that terrible steriotype about American players and that they all have a great work ethic, but I kind of needs one if he is going to compete…

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  4. I’m excited to see Johnson go. I want to see if he’ll sink or swim in those deeper, faster waters. I have serious doubts as to his ability to pull it off, but it’ll be interesting to watch.

    I’m much more confident in Parkhurst’s abilities and would be thrilled to see if his game holds up against stiffer competition.

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  5. EJ will be as lazy over there as he is here. He expects the game to come to him and he refuses to go out and get it.

    That, and he’ll try to live like a rapper, which will probably get him into trouble before too long.

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  6. he should do well wherever he goes. he needs players around him as he isn’t the henry type of player, but he is fast, an accurate finisher, and does have good touch (although he seems extremely robotic on the ball). lets just hope its not fullham or Derby, both teams are snakebitten and goind down

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  7. I’m happy for all the US players at Fulham but I really don’t want to see EJ go there – enough is enough. I like EJ but c’mon and always pull for him – but he always lets you down. What’s he done the last two years? Nada. He’s all kick and run. I’d be shocked if he goes to a Prem club. He has zero one-on-one skills. The Championship is more like it.

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  8. I definitely think Eddie J will move abroad, but any club that picks him up will need to play him to see any results. Johnson has always struck me as a pure striker, nothing more.

    He can’t take opponents on one-on-one, such as a Torres can and he lacks the consistency and finishing touch of a Wayne Rooney who can’t take on players one-on-one, but does well making runs into the box to get on the end of crosses and battling in the box to finish a goal.

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  9. Johnson is a streaky player. He is either scoring in bunches or giving you absolutely nothing. I want to see him move to Europe because he is stagnating in the MLS. He has the speed, but he lacks a good fisrt touch which he will need to work on if he is to be successful. I hope he goes to Reading or Man City.

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  10. Beautiful Site Ives. Personally I feel that the EJ is much too soft to play in a place like the Prem. I’d think a move to the Iberian Leagues might be a good idea since he’d be able to use his “talents” and “skills” to get his confidence back. If I do remember correctly he was linked with a move to Departivo La Corona several years ago. That just might be what he needs.

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  11. I’ve only seen Johnson play for the U.S.. Based on those performances (and a few token MLS highlights), he would have to do A LOT of work to stick around with any of the teams in the EPL. He does have speed, but really nothing much beyond that, particularly when matched up against good European defenders.

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  12. Dempsey’s fee was reported at around $4 million. Tim Howard also apparently moved for around $4 million. Hell, Stern John moved for £1.5 million, which at the time was $2.6 million. So the Johnson deal could be $4-5 million, which is in the vicinity of £2 million.

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  13. Isn’t the record MLS transfer fee like $2 million U.S.? I know it’s definitely under 3 million. That’s pocket change to most of these clubs. In my mind MLS doesn’t really ever get decent value for its players.

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  14. Eddie is awful. He believes his own hype (MLS All star game haircut), and the fact that he even has any hype anymore is comical.

    Only USMNT player I loathe.

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  15. I would prefer EJ goes to the Bundesliga or Eredivisie. In the Premiership, there is too much athleticism for his to stand out.

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  16. The article says a 3 million pound fee was agreed for Eddie by Derby before he nixed the deal (I for one think Eddie made a great decision by not going to Derby). That kind of transfer fee would shatter the record for anything the MLS has ever gotten for a player. $6 Million plus for a player is pretty good in a league where you can buy a franchise for less than $30 Million. With the money from that deal that KC could use to bring in other players they would be in a great position. The new MLS transfer fee rules work very well for the individual clubs that have players they can sell.

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  17. I would love to see EJ at Newcastle or Man City. If he’s focused, he’ll be able to get into some games and show what he’s got.

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  18. EJ will ride the pine pretty much anywhere he goes for the first month or so.
    The way I see it, he’s a practice player — one who shows everything he’s capable of around his teammates, coach and without a crowd but once you add in the 10,000-plus people and a game that actually counts, his talent goes into a shell.
    Yes, he’s had some hat trick games and has shown aggressiveness in many games but he just doesn’t show up in as many games as his talent suggests.
    But I hope for his sake and for the US Soccer’s sake that the change of scenery, heightened expectations and pressure to preform will help him blossom.

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  19. I don’t care where EJ goes as long as he plays and the team stay in the top flight. Guys like Benny Feilhaber jump at the chance to play in England only to sign with an already relegated club, which never plays them. Too bad for his development. EJ should try to sign on wit ha team that will be staying in the top flight. That rules out Derby, Fulham, and Wigan.

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  20. Nice Ann Coulter ads. I know, I know, you can’t do anything about the advertising. Yes, my eyes are rolling out of my head at the moment. It’s all about the money, after all.

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  21. It a great time for EJ to move to Europe. Where he will go, who knows, I can see a lower mid-table club in England coming in for him, his pace and athleticism is perfect for the BPL. I have no idea which club though. I’m glad EJ is making this move, we can all argue and shake our fists about EJ’s play, but we can all see the potential that is in him. He NEEDS that fire to be lit under his a*@ that only the pressure of top European club football can provide.

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  22. GAM is way too lazy of a player to be successful in England in my opinion. Hopefully having to fight for a roster spot every game and giving 100% effort when he actually gets a chance will change that.

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  23. Have to agree with Mr Spangler – though, knowing EJ, I would think that riding the pine and getting him out of his comfort zone would drive him back to MLS. But at this point I don’t think there’s anything else left to try with him. If a European move doesn’t result in his developing the skills he so sorely lacks, nothing will.

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  24. While I don’t want to agree with commenter Emilio, its impossible to ignore that possibility. And while we don’t need another MNT-er riding the bench in Europe, and god knows Fulham doesn’t need another American, an apprenticeship under McBride would do any American striker good. You have to hope the intensified training and foreign coaches would be good for any player with Johnson’s inconsistency. Getting him out of his comfort zone seems to be key with EJ.

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  25. Congrats Ives, site looks great – looking forward to all the new trimmings in the coming year, best of luck!

    Good for EJ, wonder what KC would look to do with the $$$. Agree Parkhurst would do well going to Europe, but don’t think 1 more year in MLS will hurt…

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  26. I just dont see Johnson being succesful in Europe, he is so inconsistent, he got off to a great start this year in MlS, he had 13 goals in 12 games and than ended with just two more the rest of the way. If I were him I would jump at any move, because I think this is probably his last chance at Europe.

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  27. Derby is set to make a deal for Emanuel Villa, so I doubt they would still be interested in Johnson. But, you never know. I’m disappointed Parkhurst won’t be moving, I think he has a future as a starter for the USMNT and the best way to kick start the future is to go play against the best competition the world has to offer.

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  28. Firt of all, congrats on your new site. Best of luck!

    If there are parties interested in Eddie abroad then I think he should go. Hopefully it will help with his development and become a bigger threat for the US national. I just hope he doesn’t land in Fulham because there are just too many americans in that one team.

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