Michael Bradley’s pending transfer this summer is one of the most anticipated moves in American soccer, so when a report surfaced on Wednesday claiming that Bradley favored a move to the German Bundesliga over a move to the English Premier League, a few eyebrows were understandably raised.
As it turns out, that report was false. Ron Waxman, Bradley’s New York-based agent, refuted the claims that Bradley prefers a move to Germany.
"There is no truth to the idea that Michael favors a move to the Bundesliga over a move to the Premier League," Waxman said. "Michael is interested in moving to a good club in any of the top leagues in Europe.
"Furthermore, I am Michael’s agent, and I will not discuss the names of any clubs that have expressed an interest in Michael."
This is the story Waxman refuted.
Ironically, the story claiming Bradley preferred Germany to England came out on the same day that a story out of Liverpool linked Everton to a potential $9 million bid for Bradley.
What do you think of the reports? Where do you think Bradley should go? Everton? Blackburn? Stuttgart? Werder Bremen? Share your thoughts below.
Kon Schramm is a respected agent. He represents a number of Bundesliga stars like Lukas Podolski. But, why is he being reported as Bradley’s agent?
Most important he needs to go to a squad where he gets lots of playing time. Second I hope it isn’t in the EPL. All this nonsense about his game suits the EPL blah blah blah. That is why you go to a different league to round out your game and learn new tactics. Last I checked he was thriving in the Eredivise which is not like the EPL at all. I’d love to see him crack the door of La Liga or Serie A and possibly widen the options for future US stars and he would learn a lot more about soccer than in the EPL where he doesn’t have much to learn beyond keeping up with the fast pace. Lets grow some technical players we have plenty of EPL style players already.
Regardless of where he goes, it makes him 100% more of a man than Landon Donovan was at the same age.
I actually think fighting hard for a starting position on a good team would be a great way to develop. He’s had the experience of starting every game in Holland. Now he’s ready for the next challenge, to become a starter of a top team in a better league.
I agree with the Bundesliga suggestion of Bayern. Klinsman would give him a good opportunity to earn playing time, as he did for german NT youngsters. He’d also be able to learn next to Ze Roberto, Lucio, Ribery, Klose, etc. In addition to being in a fairly balanced league, he’d have CL competitions.
“Plus, i think Bradleys attacking game could see better improvement when surrounded with quick, and more dangerous players than the ones at everton. I think blackburns Santa Cruz, Pederson, Bentley, McCartney are all players that he would benefit from playing between.”
Nels: Arteta, Pienaar, Baines, Neville (when at RB)? I think Bradley’s style would fit in real well at Everton and give them a look that they don’t currently have: a two-way central mid.
———-Yakubu/Johnson———–
————-Cahill—————-
Piennar——Bradley——–Arteta
————Carsley—————-
Baines—Lescott—-Yobo—-Neville
————–Howard————–
Looks pretty good to this Everton supporter. And what do Scousers being hard to understand have anything to do with anything?
As far as his development, playing 6 games a year against 3 of the top 4 CL teams, plus playing tough games in Europe (UEFA Cup) and learning finer aspects of attacking/defending from the likes of hard nose and skilled players like Cahill and Carsley sounds pretty good.
I’m not saying he should go to Everton, but I like the move for both. Blackburn won’t do any better than they’ve done the past 2 seasons, Bentley will soon be moving on, Pedersen hasn’t looked like he did a year ago (McCartney?????) and they won’t even have the Intertoto to look forward to; that’s going to whoever loses the battle for fifth between Villa and Everton.
If not a top 5 German side (Bayern, Bremen, Hamburg, Stuttgart, or Shalke), I would like to see him with Villa or Everton. I think Bradley can win a starting spot with either side, and both clubs, as of today, will be playing European football next season (although Villa need to qualify through Intertoto). Out of the lot, I would like to see him with Villa. Martin O’Neil has taken Gareth Barry (please stay Gareth!), Ashley Young, and Gabby Agbonlahor and helped them raise their games to the point they are in the England squad or in consideration. Plus, Reo-Coker and Petrov cannot do the job I think Bradley can do, so he can easily win a starting spot.
Tom, the person quoted in the SkySports story is NOT Michael Bradley’s agent. Ron Waxman is his agent and has been his agent for a long time. Nothing has changed on that front.
Posted by: Ives | May 08, 2008 at 01:30 AM
The question is not who is Waxman. The question is, “who the hell is the guy in the Sky Sports report?” And why is he identifying himself as Bradley’s agent and speaking as such? Is he a complete impostor or does he have some sort of relationship with Bradley? It’s a logical question that I’m sure you asked Waxman. So why not give us the answer?
Everyone suggesting Werder, Bayern, Juventus, and La Liga teams forget that Bradley will struggle for even moderate playing time there, let a lone a consistent starting role.
Amit said it best: He needs to play every game to make his next transfer a success.
Everton, Stuttgart, Blackburn/West Ham, and HSV seem like the best moves for him this year.
Also, those hating on the Bundesliga: Top-to-bottom the quality is better than EPL. Yep, I said it. Obviously their top 4 teams fail drastically in comparison to EPL’s big 4, but outside of Werder and Bayern Munchen, teams like
Bayern Leverkusen
Stuttgart
Shaulke
Hamburg
Dortmund
Wolfsburg
Frankfurt
Karlsruher
Hertha
Are better quality than the West Hams, Man Citys, Newcastles, Wigans, Portsmouths, and Aston Villas.
So please spare me the 2nd-tier league. They just don’t have run-a-way giants like Chelsea/Liverpool/ManU/Arsenal/Barca/Real
He should go to the Bundesliga, and Hamburg SV in particular. HSV is losing van der Vaart after this season and Bradley’s size and speed would fit in perfectly in that league.
everton is probably the highest level team that he could realistically get a chance at starting in the EPL.
from a personal standpoint though, i would take anything over merseyside, the scouse are freakin hard to understand. Plus, i think Bradleys attacking game could see better improvement when surrounded with quick, and more dangerous players than the ones at everton. I think blackburns Santa Cruz, Pederson, Bentley, McCartney are all players that he would benefit from playing between. atleast moreso than yakubu and johnson. bradleys a tough tackler, he would fit in well with friedels team.
If he goes to the EPL, I think he should go to everton. I’m not sure if his skill set is really that great for the EPL, but I think everton would be the best fit.
I think the Bundasliga is better than the SPL, and celtic rarely see their way into the final 16.
But any way the cookie crumbles, MB is going to have to step it up because as soon as he signs the bottom line, he’s going to have to earn his way into the starting 11 of any of these squads
Tom, the person quoted in the SkySports story is NOT Michael Bradley’s agent. Ron Waxman is his agent and has been his agent for a long time. Nothing has changed on that front.
Oh, and I don’t want to talk about the Blaugrana until the summer window opens. Ugh. What a disaster.
Bottom line, Bradley will not stay in Holland and will not be playing for Arsenal or the Spurs in the EPL.
Well, maybe the Spurs, which is a longshot, but certainly not Arsenal. (Though they do need to replace Flamini.)
Everton looks like a good bet but it hardly ever signs players right away. And that always works against them unless Bradley has a really good feeling about the club and Moyes, who has got to be considered one of the best managers in all of Europe.
I still think there’s a chance Bayern Munich swoops in and signs the kid, making big headlines.
Weder Bremen isn’t a bad destination, either.
One more quick thought – where ever he ends up he needs to work on the timing of his tackles. His 2 cards vs. Ajax were well deserved and he seems to have a penchant for rash, ill timed challenges.
I guess with age that will go away but some have been so bad that Joey Barton would be proud.
Dano –
I am sure you are right and he doesn’t want to stay in Holland. But like Amit says in the post above:
“Mike Bradley needs to play every game for his next club team, or his signig will have been a mistake.”
That sums up perfectly the point I was trying to make. There is plenty of quality football in Europe but if you spend 90% of the time watching it on match day it does you no good. You need to go where you are going to play regularly.
Mike Bradley needs to play every game for his next club team, or his signig will have been a mistake.
While it may be a long shot I do believe that their is a epl team that is destined for Champions League play that would be perfect for Bradley, Arsenal. With Wenger’s preference for unheralded youngsters and the loss of Flamini, as a holding midfielder that is not afraid to go forward Bradley would be a perfect fit for Fabregas’s style and the team’s. Even if he could not crack the first team right away Wenger also loves to play his youngsters in the Fa and Carling cups as well as the European matches.
Juventus.
As noted by (an astonishingly small number of) other commenters in this thread, this post really leaves a gaping question. Namely: Who is Bradley’s acting agent, and why are there two different men being quoted as such?
You can’t just say, “SkySports has a false report,” and not note why the source quoted there is to be discounted.
For selfish reasons I’d love to see him go play in the EPL, then we can watch him play.
In my opinion, if him or Altidore go to the EPL (and join a top team, this includes Everton) they will become truly the 1st International US Soccer star this country has seen thus far. Simply due to the fact the exposure they would get HERE in the US.
Good luck Michael from Jersey.
Chris, it was odd because it had to be rescheduled for a weekday, and Real has already sealed the league. However, Barca had to give RM the traditional “pasillo” upon their entrance — truly humbling.
All respect, but the Bundesliga is a second-tier league and I see it as only a small step up from the Eredivisie. La Liga or the EPL would be a good fit and help to develop him into a world-class player. Those leagues are not going to keep him in a goal-scoring role, however.
Posted by: Bob | May 07, 2008 at 11:03 PM
—————————————-
Bob you can not be serious.
Bundesliga is SO far ahead of the Eredivisie.
Off topic, but did anyone notice there was a Spanish Derby today? One of the biggest matchups in the sport, and it seems to have gone by quietly.
I would love to see him go to Bayern Munich, and play under Klinsmann. He could learn to play some great football, playing with Ze Roberto, Mark van Bommel, and Tim Borowski. Also to have to chance to play with guys like Toni, Ribery, Lucio, and even more world class players. Plus playing with Bayern he will get some great CL experience. I think with Klinsmann there is a good chance this could happen, if it was anyone else I dont. No matter what he will go to someone playing in Europe. If not Bayern, or Werder it will be Everton.
So much for nepotism
All respect, but the Bundesliga is a second-tier league and I see it as only a small step up from the Eredivisie. La Liga or the EPL would be a good fit and help to develop him into a world-class player. Those leagues are not going to keep him in a goal-scoring role, however.
Bremen is too perfect for Bradley. A chance to play in CL, challenge for the league, play alongside a perfect complement in Diego, away from the volatility of the Premiership… he fits like a puzzle piece perfectly there. He can go to the Premiership in a few years.
If he goes to England now, he’d be a great d-mid behind Modric at Spurs, but I’d still rather that he go to the Bundesliga now.
Everton would be a good move. The English clubs are more willing to actually field Americans than the Italian or Spanish clubs. Maybe it has to do with less of a language barrier for coaching and the fact that English football is more suited for the physical American game.
Yeah… Mike said he doesn’t want to stay in Holland.
@Thom -I’m pretty sure I read recently that he’s consistently stated he will not stay in Holland, and was looking forward to playing in a new league.
I just hope wherever he ends up, he gets playing time. Training at a higher level is all well and good, but you’ve simply got to play at game speed to develop some skillsets.
I really like MasterShakes comment on Spurs. They are definitely a more attacking side than most EPL teams. They have a continental manager in Juande Ramos, who will help him in the flair department while EPL builds his strength. And since Spurs won the Carling Cup this year, they’ll be in the UEFA Cup next year, so he’ll have European football. Outside of Spurs, Everton would be an excellent choice.
I think Everton would be an ideal choice. Moyes is tremendous, and Bradley could learn from some savvy players like Cahill and Carsley. He has the potential to be such a fantastic midfielder who can attack just as well as he can defend in the right environment and if he stays healthy. Lots of upside for Lil’ Bradley.
Last thought. He is only 20 he needs to go where he is comfortable and gets playing time. If he made a move to an Everton or Werder Breman size club and excelled the big boys would come find him. He also has time to show his talents to the world by the time he is hitting his prime. He could be coming out of his second World Cup at 26.
If Everton is considering him a primary target they plan on giving him a shot on the pitch. You don’t bring in a player for that kind of money to not play him.
Everton is about to build a new ground and within a few seasons they should be very competitive at the top of the table. Not a bad club at all.
Not sure what you are going on about Americans in Germany. They have had success there.
First of all how amazing is it to have an article about a large EPL club talking about a US international as their main target for the summer transfer window?
It looks like he is already getting some great press so I would like to see him get bid up and break the $10 million mark in a transfer.
Ives,
I think he should stay in Holland if the money is right or even close. I rather see him move to Ajax or PSV if either club would be interested. ( 2nd choice?- Celtic or Rangers in SPL) That we way you play in exciting league plus get a clear shot at UEFA/ Champions league football year in year out. At least he would get to play attacking soccer vs. being pigion holed in England or Germany. Also I think Germany is full of pit falls for american players and is a league in decline at the moment.
I think the Dutch league is underrated and the best league in Europe to develop an all around game. To much BS and inter club politics in Germany, Spain and Italy.
If he has to leave Holland- then England. At least Americans can get a fair chance assuming they have a proper manager and management continuity. Germany 2nd, Spain- NO WAY until they prove they are going to give americans a fair chance.
England has one major draw back- if you are not on one of the big four you have no shot at playing in the champions league and your UEFA odds just went way down compared to other leagues. Blackburn- fine time, fine manager, good 2008 and Inter Toto cup bound! (maybe) And will be hard pressed to have as good a year next year. Everton- as high as they can go without a injection of transfer cash. TOP 4- A) not interested B) even if they were Bradely would be lucky to get 15 games a year with their talent and money. (lots of early FA Cup and Carling Cup matches there for him)And one bad stretch and he be buried until transfered.
In general I feel more Americans would be better off in Holland or Scotland for their over all development as well as being treated fairly for what they are as players and not being prejudged for being born in America.
Your thoughts Ives?
I haven’t heard anything about Bradley preferring a club in the Champions League…let’s face it, he’s young as hell. If he really wanted to play in the CL, he should stay in Holland and move to Ajax or PSV, or go to a “lesser” CL team. But he speaks Dutch, so Holland is a great place for him to be.
Other than that, if he doesn’t care about CL–which is probably the case, given his age and how absurd it would be for a young player to expect to slide into the first team at a “big” CL club–a mid-table team in England would suit him well. A place where he has a real chance of playing in the first team, there are plenty that would be a good fit.
WHY is NOBODY talking about the fact that the agent Ives talked to and the agent in the SkySports article are TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE. Kicker and skysports say that his agent is actually Kon Schramm.
The regulars know I’m a Stuttgart fanatic, so my bias is probably pretty obvious 😉
But seriously — I think the best place for him to go is Everton because of the EPL’s level of play and for his connections with Howard.
But Stuttgart is a close 2nd.
Think about it: The team only has 1 young CM/DM (Khedira) and even he is more of an attack midfielder in the mold of a Ballack. Although they do have Rudy in the German U19 ranks, and he’s been tearing it up with Kroos.
If Bradley heads to Stuttgart, it would be exactly the type of soccer he fits best, and he’d have a MUCH better chance at getting consistent playing time than a move to Werder. You really think he could compete for a starting role with Frings, Diego, Ozil, Vranjes, Jansen, and Bauman?
He’d be better served playing in the Bundesliga competing with Basturk and Khedira for the spot alongside Pardo. Baby steps, guys, baby steps :).
CL? Werder? Look, here’s how it is: 1 team made it to the final 16 of the CL, Schalke. They beat Porto, but were clearly outclassed by Barca.
After Bayern Munich’s recent loss in the UEFA cup semifinal by the hands of St. Petersburg, the German press went on about how far behind German football has fallen.
So, England or Germany? I think there’s one choice for me. If there’s a solid team calling from England, I think that’s where he should go.
Even though it was a false report, if he could go to Germany and play for the likes of Stuttgart and Werder, I would much prefer to see him there. Even though Everton is certainly a good EPL team, I am getting so tired of Yanks in the EPL. Werder is a consistent CL team as well as a team that is capable of winning the Bundesliga on its year and while Stuttgart have fallen off from last year, they are a consistent European side and a team that I expect will be back challenging for the CL next year.
If he goes to the EPL, he should not settle for any less than a European playing side, otherwise stay in Holland. Speaking of which, any chance that Ajax or PSV come calling, or if they finally get their act together, what about Feyenord. Heerenveen’s current coach will be coaching there next year after all and I would say he probably likes Bradley alright.
I’d like to see him go to the EPL but that’s mainly because then we’d actually get to see his games televised. His game I think is more suited for England than a league like Spain or Italy. He has the hard-nosed physical style that the EPL is known for
Bremen all the way. CL football and he would fit in well there with his style.
everton in a heart beat. while of course champions league games are important, whats more important is playing day in day out in a tough league for a good team – champions league games are rare across the course of the season, and if he plays for say werder bremen and gets an easy draw, then he’ll be playing teams of low quality, and if they get a good draw, then he’ll play some teams of high quality, but lose quickly. more importantly, there’s no guarantee at all that bradley would start for a team in the champions league, so its better for him to go to england (which for all its faults is undoubtedly a better league than the bundesliga) and thus whatever minutes he gets will be where the best in the world are playing. michael bradley is nothing but a destroyer, and england will help him harness that while also learning to be a little more careful on the ball – maybe transform him into a gattuso or a roy keane…
I’d love to see him in Italy or Spain, just to add some variety to the US player pool.
Hotspurs
Going to Everton with Tim Howard would help with adjusting to life in England. Also, I think he could play well in Italy, in the Gattuso mold. Maybe not as well just yet, but similarly.
Also…
If Waxman is his agent… Who’s the guy quoted in the article?
Werder Bremen for some Champion’s League football.