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Will an MLS team take a chance on Ljungberg?

Freddie_ljungberg_isiphotoscom

Freddie Ljungberg is looking for work.

Well, not really looking, more like weighing options after accepting a $16 million payoff to walk away from West Ham. One of those options is allegedly with MLS.

I say allegedly because foreign player agents have started a trend of including MLS in rumors about their players in order to create an artificial market for their players. You say an MLS team is ready to through David Beckham money at your client, thus creating a market.

So here’s the question if we’re playing along: What team or teams in MLS would take a chance on Ljungberg? And by "take a chance" I don’t mean to make it sound like he’s coming in on a minimum salary deal. He would obviously cost a mint for some team to acquire. So who would really be willing to pay that price? More importantly, would Ljungberg be worth a designated player slot?

Ljungberg isn’t likely to struggle to find work. He has already been linked to clubs like AS Roma, and there’s always underwear modeling.

What do you think? Would you want your MLS team to make a run at Ljungberg? Do you think he is worthy of a DP slot? Was West Ham foolish to let Ljungberg go? Do you wish you had a job that would pay you $16 million to leave? (Yes, I know, we all do)

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Freddie is simply a better player than Beckham. West Ham was a terrible move for him – he’ll be a star in any league (apart from the English Premiership) – so any chance of bringing him to MLS would be a huge coup.

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  2. Why not take a chance? When healthy he is a good player and his looks and well spoken demeanor make him marketable. He would do well at RSL I bet but would he want to live in SLC?

    I get the feeling he’ll end up in Italy for a year before he moves anywhere near MLS.

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  3. Actually, I wonder if that’s an interesting story for a slow news day, Ives? A compilation of all of the Cups MLS teams can or might be able to participate in, and the level of payoff in each?

    Could an MLS team take a “playing for Europe” mentality to bringing in players? Or am I just being silly after a hard night’s drinking?

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  4. I think teams need to look at what kind of Return on Investment, in the bank, players like that could make.

    The question isn’t, Where would he fit in? It’s – What team is on the verge of playing well regularly in Int’l Cups, etc. where it can earn more money and recognition, and could use him to help get there?

    Rangers is an example of what I’m trying to say. Of course they want to win the SPL each season, but the real reason to spend the money they do is to try to play well in Europe. Just winning the Cup isn’t a big enough financial incentive.

    Ljunberg isn’t going to sell any jerseys in the US. He has to help earn that money somewhere else.

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  5. MLS can’t afford Ljunberg. You don’t go from making $183,000 a week to less than $400,000 a year.

    He will find a middle ground with more money, perhaps back in Sweden.

    Also, people keep saying Solano is still a consideration in LA. But my understanding is he has already agreed to a deal in Europe.

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  6. As stated above, FL would have a weather adjustment to make if truly coming over. That’s why Seattle makes the most sense. If I was the Philly group I’d take a good look at him as well marketing wise.

    The real question on Ljungberg [besides all the Office Space jokes] is even though he is still only 31, he has a history of injuries. I really don’t see a MLS squad gambling DP money on this guy because of that.

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  7. Someday the MLS will be something other than a feeder and retirement village of European soccer leagues. At least I hope so.

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  8. Someday the MLS will be something other than a feeder and retirement village of European soccer leagues. At least I hope so.

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  9. Sonic-

    They are taking a look at Solano and ridding of Ruiz. Also its LA. Since when did conventional MLS rules apply to LA.

    I wouldnt honestly rule it out.

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  10. we could be only so lucky to have him in MLS. Swedish NT captian 2 months ago, can play left or the right wing as well as central attacking mid.

    the guy would be the 3rd most marketd DP behind Becks and Blanco.

    ive been saying Ljungburg to MLS for the past year now b/c it makes sense on so many levels…glad to see it may happen

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  11. My opinion is american soccer fans are narrow minded and anyone that played in EPL ‘must be good’ – so, yeah MLS should do this. (I couldn’t care less about him)

    He will fry in the american summers and might as well dig up a relic if you want an old name on the field. Tutenljungburg?

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  12. West Ham gave him the present value of his contract as a payout because they want to get wages under control. He was rumored to be making anywhere from GBP70-85,000 a week. That didn’t fit the wages structure. Its why Robert Green was upset with the club.

    Trust me, many West Ham fans are not happy he’s gone (understand why, just not happy). I actually think he’s their best option on the left. Not a huge Etherington or Boa Morte fan.

    So just wanted to say…its easy to look at what he paid and think he is done. But its not always such a simplistic view.

    As Ives said, if Roma is looking at him, clearly he has something left in the tank.

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  13. “I bet LA takes a look.”

    Ossington, you would be a much poorer man if you did. No cap space +no DP+need for defenders= Not a chance.

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  14. Given the Galaxy’s already non-existent “cap space” I’d say it’s impossible, but he sure could help out on the left side. Randolph, Jazic, or Ljungberg?

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  15. Well, I think its at least a possibility.

    There are 2 obstacles to star players joing MLS:

    1) Their Salary

    2) Transfer Fees

    Because MLS hopes to never pay a transfer fee, and that Freddie is at least free of that, he could be considered.

    As far as could they meet his salary demands, I doubt it unless Haynes signs up as a jersey sponsor for one of the remaining MLS teams 🙂

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  16. I always liked Freddie on the field, and would love to have him play for Columbus in front of Brian Carroll. The guy has a non-stop motor and was easily Arsenal’s best player on the field in the final of the UCL v Barca a few years ago.

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  17. New York.

    -We have an open DP slot

    -We should have money from the Altidore sale and perhaps an upcoming Bradley sale

    -We could use some speed and a scoring threat on the left wing

    -He’s exactly the kind of player more NYers would come out to see, especially women

    -His modeling would be a plus in marketing the team in NY. There used to be a huge billboard of him in CK underwear in Times Square

    C’mon Osorio, make it happen!

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  18. I have a hard time taking seriously any story that says MLS and Roma are both thought to be options. It’s always possible, I suppose (witness Beckham), but it’s pretty farfetched.

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  19. Ljungberg has said in the past that he likes the lifestyle of living in the States. That’s a big “STAY AWAY” in my opinion

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  20. Lundberg is talented enough he could probably pay in an attacking midfielder role. Schelotto was almost exclusively a winger with Boca, but he has slid over (and back) into that #10 slot.

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  21. The Red Bulls need him worse then bad, and should do whatever they can to bring him in. The team is a joke right now and need to atleast make a move that will get them covered more, even if its not with whats going on, on the field.

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  22. OOOOOO000000000ooooooo…….. I was hoping RSL would give him a go, but after reading all of these posts… maybe not. I thought he was a grade-A stud.

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  23. I’m sure there are several MLS clubs that would take him immediately.

    Having said that, Arsene Wenger again showed that knack for smart managing by letting him go when he did. Not that I think Llunberg sucks now, but he’s a shadow of what he was only 4-5 years ago.

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  24. Remember Rafael Wicky at Chivas USA?

    Injury-riddled before, injury-riddled now.

    Ljungberg would be a more expensive version.

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  25. Besides his injury woes in recent years, Ljunberg suffers from migrane headaches. He’d miss several games a season when he was at Arsenal because of this. His ailments would make Ljunberg a bad deal for an MLS team if he was signed as a DP.

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  26. Is Ljungberg worth a DP slot? Of course. It’s not even fair to compare Ljungberg to Claudio Lopez or Marcelo Gallardo. We’re talking about a captain of his national team two months ago, and a regular for a quality EPL team. He spent 9 seasons at Arsenal and was voted the 11th greatest Arsenal player ever. He’s played in 3 Euros and 2 World Cups. He is no doubt a DP level player.

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  27. Let’s just pretend, for sh*ts and giggles, that he wanted to come to NY to play for the Red Bulls.

    A) What happened with the Reyna DP slot again? They can’t use it this season, right? What if Ljungberg signed a 2-year contract that paid non-DP money this season but DP-money next season?

    B) What happened with the money they got for Altidore? Is some of all of it available to sign a player like Ljungberg?

    C) Do we have to worry about which team has the top allocation slot, like we did with McBride?

    I hate this MLS rules cr*p. I have absolutely no idea whether it is even possible that my team can sign him.

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  28. Good player but no one can possibly believe that he will bring in enough revenue to pay his multi-million dollar salary. There won’t be millions of Lungberg jersey sales nor will there be 6000 Swedish-Americans sprinting to park every week just because someone from their ancestral land is playing at the local park.

    Through in the injury concern and this is a bad deal all around.

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  29. I just don’t think any winger is worth a DP slot unless they are a true celebrity like Beckham. Instead, DP slots and money should be spent on strikers and attacking midfielders. With that said, if Ljungberg would make as an effective an attacking midfielder as Blanco or Schelotto, why not Seattle to start their existence with a bang?

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  30. Man, as a Galaxy fan, he sounds so tempting, he would actually give LA a left wing, but yeah, he’s probably out of MLS’ price range.

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  31. Salary issues aside, I would like to see life-less Colorado pick him up. Though, I’m not sure if they are interested in improving.

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  32. Why would West Ham ask him to leave? I would NOT spend DP money on a player who was asked to leave a mid table club. Cannot see any good coming out of a deal for freddie unless he wanted to join becks in LA for 150K a year.

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  33. I believe this is the type of player that the MLS is looking at as a DP. His career is in a bit of a dip. He could still play in a top league. When i heard of his realease I thought this right away.

    Teams he could fit in with: Chivas, Dallas, Houston or RBNY.

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  34. I bet LA takes a look.

    Or is Secksy Becksy/Solano (whos still not confirmed) the same wing?

    Regardless i bet they have a look

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