Photo by ISIphotos.com
With the 2008 MLS season over, and the Golden Boot Award in his grasp after a 20-goal tally, Landon Donovan is ready to head back to Europe.
This isn’t exactly news since reports have permeated all year linking Donovan to a likely winter departure overseas. Well, Donovan re-stated his desire to go abroad and it is sounding more and more like Donovan is ready to do what it takes to have his wish granted.
Should the 26-year-old striker/midfielder leave? Absolutely. He has already shown over and over that he can dominate in MLS, and the challenge of playing and succeeding in Europe has to be motivating him now, especially given the number of Americans who have moved overseas in recent years. Donovan doesn’t really have anything left to prove in MLS, but has everything to prove playing in a top European league.
What do you think of Donovan’s desire to go abroad now? Glad to see him talking about a new challenge? Worried about the state of the Los Angeles Galaxy without him? Excited about what such a move could mean to his national team success?
Share your thoughts below.
Mike Kurowski,
In defense of Ives. This is an AMERICAN soccer blog, written by an AMERICAN. That being said, having Donavan leaving the MLS for higher competition can be seen in good light, because he is American. Beckham, on the other hand, is a foreigner in the MLS that is here to bring the MLS and the Galaxy revenue and increase the league’s stature. America doesn’t care about Beckham’s progress as a player in the Serie A or England’s National team. As long as he plays well for the Galaxy and does what he’s supposed to do for us he’s OK. As for Donavan, I think we all want to see him succeed in whatever league he plays in. Obviously it wont benefit the Galaxy, but most likely will benefit him as a USMNT player and an American footballer and that is why, I believe, Ives has a positive outlook on Donavan’s situation and a not-so-positive look on Beckham’s.
Ives is just Patriotic 🙂
Ives,
Can you clarify Donovan’s contract details. How much longer does he have on his deal with MLS?
If he has a few years left I would rate him at a $6 to $8 Million transfer price if I am the MLS. He is the most marketable born American player in the league but his cap hit is making the most marketable player’s team uncompetitive.
Mike Kurowski, can you really not see the difference between the two players? Landon Donovan has given a large part of his career to MLS and contributed quite a bit to the progress of the league. If he wants to leave then he has earned the right to leave. If a player doesn’t want to be somewhere I am a firm believer in letting that player move on, particularly when they have already given quite a bit to the team/league they have played for.
Beckham wants to turn his career into a sideshow for the expressed purpose of holding on to his fringe role for England. If he goes on a loan until April it might not be the worst thing in the world, but at the same time I don’t see the point in it.
Now, if Beckham wanted to leave MLS, I’m pretty sure his wish would be granted, and if that were the case, I wouldn’t have a problem with it.
That clear things up for you Mike? If you still can’t understand why the Donovan and Beckham circumstances are different then I don’t know what to tell you.
Heh. Tom P and I were on the same wavelength.
I believe he would do very well in Holland or spain. EPL a toss up IMO he has the speed for EPL but not the size in my opinion tho Robinho is showing us that size matters not in the EPL. Germany no i dont think so again naw
What about Holland? I don’t follow the Dutch league well enough to know if the style would suit him.
I have one word for where Donovan will suceed in Europe and become a true European Superstar:
Holland!!!!!
I’m not a Donovan fan at all…
That being said, I think it’s probably a good idea for him to try to elevate his game. My only real concern is that he seems to disappear against strong opponents. When playing at a much higher level, will he have the same reservations/fear? I hope not, but we will see, I guess.
I’m glad he’s ready to accept the challenge. So many of us were disappointed in him when he came back to MLS, cause we knew he was a good player, and that he could do well in a top league. Now he has the motivation and maturity behind him to give it another go and I wish him the best.
Im happy Donovan finaly is ready for this. He is certainly good enough to make an impact on a good team. There is no better time for him to go, so i look forward to monitering his situation. I hop he goes to La Liga, I think it is the best league for his strengths.
“. . . Weather, cuisine, etc. are still gonna suck.”
____________________________
You must be a “Big Mac” kind of guy.
German cuisine sucks? It must be all that natural, seasonal, organic, sustainable goodness that they put on their plates huh.
Oh, and Landon, a España compa.
Ives, why do you support Donovan’s desire to play at a higher level, but you question Beckham’s desire for a 3-month loan? I know you question what is best for the team. Do you honestly think it’s best for Donovan to leave the Galaxy? Beckham is not asking to leave the Galaxy; he is just asking for a loan period so he can still be able to play for England. Donovan wants to leave the team. If the Galaxy are trying to become a super club, why would they let their best players leave? What does Beckham make of this? You need to explain why you supportive Donovan’s aspirations and not Beckham’s.
Oh man! I just read your article on Beckham. It was ugly. You are not giving him a fair look. This is completely uncharacteristic of you. Your article sounds like something negative, biased, and unsympathetic those other ESPN writers would write.
Landon might have an agreement (written or verbal) that allows him to leave when he wants. I can’t see anyone paying a ton for him given his history. English teams usually like bargains from the US. An English team might be willing to pay $3-4 million for him, but I’m not sure that anyone in Spain (other than the Real and Barcelona and they don’t want him) have that kind of money to spend on someone from an unknown league (Altidore is a different proposition entirely due to his age).
Good point. Landycakes will have to play that card and he appears to have enough leverage to get his wish.
@John,
Agree with what you said. That was essentially my 1st point. To my 2nd point I am curious what his current contract status is. If it is due to run out next year for example, then MLS will want to get some kind of transfer fee vs. risking him leaving on a free transfer
LD is not just another MLS player. He is clearly the most talented of the american attackers and he has ‘matured’ and gotten a lot tougher.
And saying he doesn’t score enough on his opportunities is…misguided.
Cheers,
I’ve never been a huge fan of donovan, but i think this possible transfer could do him wonders! hopefully mls is able to agree with whatever team wants him. i think he should stay out of england tho.
” . . . What gives?
Posted by: Mario in SJ | October 27, 2008 at 11:48 AM ”
It’s an ANTI AMERICAN Bias!
AND
Sometimes our guys shouldn’t be playing where they are. (I’m looking at you Adu/Feilhaber/Johnson/Edu)
It’s been commented before, but Munich would be a mistake. They’ve already got a bunch of forwards/wingers/attacking mids – Toni, Klose, Podolski, Ribery, Schweinsteiger, Borowski… it would be pretty difficult to get consistent minutes with that group.
milkshake,
Villareal paid a premium for potential. An 18 year old kid who drops jaws against the best kids his age in the world in ’07 has huge potential and is therefore a low risk investment at 10 million. Landon on the other hand is 26 meaning he has zero potential and it’s an “as is” purchase for the Euro club. For an “as is” purchase you need to legitimately justify your transfer fee. We here see a top striker and the best attacker the US has ever produced. Europe sees a guy who couldn’t cut it in the Bundesliga and stunk at the last World Cup. Therefore you’re likely going to see Euro clubs offering chump change while MLS demands insane Altidore type dollars that aren’t realistic
isnt it odd how the 2 canidates for Golden Boot were not on winning sides?? failed to win the league and failed to win the Cup… failed to place in the top 8 at all… just seemed odd to me
LD should go to the netherlands for a season or two and establish himself… then look to the top 4….
It may be a good idea for him to go but I fear he may be sitting on a European bench like most of our guys. Of about 50 players listed by Ives in this week’s roundup, only about a third started. That includes injuries but is quite a low number for a country whose National team is #20 in the world.
Why do they even bring these guys over if they are not going to let them see the light of day? I understand that many of them are young but still the number of starters is quite low. What gives?
It’s about FREAKING time. It’s just hard to take him seriously compared to all of the rest of our talent playing abroad.
SethNYC – Munich is one of the great cities of Europe. Leverkusen? No. Landon probably realizes that not all of Germany is Leverkusen.
I don’t think you’ll see a La Liga side snap him up really quickly. They’re limited to a certain ammount of international players, correct? Was that put into place or just talked about? Even if it’s not true, I don’t know if he’s got the right skill set for the Spanish game. It’s extremely technical.
I think he’s a better fit in Germany or France. He’s not going to see major time with an EPL team. Look at Johnson, he’s not even getting time with Cardiff. For Donovan’s sake, he shouldn’t follow his footsteps.
Why not take a little bit of a downgrade, play in a second division somewhere other than England. Like St. Pauli. Haha.
Better yet, why not Celtic? They need the forwards.
correction: If it is relatively soon, then perhaps MLS will take a lower price than his contract running out and getting nothing.
If Landon leaves, he MUST be always be in the Starting XI for it to be worth it. Too many times MLS players go overseas and rot on the bench. The most important thing is playing. If he’s not going to do that in Europe, then he shouldn’t go.
Uhhhh, if Altidore’s transfer fee was $10M, you can bet MLS’s price for Landycakes will be higher. In which case, look to see him in a Galaxy uniform next spring.
Anyone know when his contract runs out?
If it is relatively soon, then perhaps MLS will take a lower price because its better than his contract running out and getting nothing.
I think he’s in a similar mold to Arshavin, and Spurs were interested in him.
Could probably get DOnovan for 1/4 of the price of Arshavin….maybe $10m (Arshavin was 20m GBP which was about $40m+ at the time).
I’d take him at that price…as he offers something different to the other players we have on the club.
by the way, founded on absolutely nothing but a hunch after watching them this weekend – I can see him going to West Ham. They can certainly use him…
good. there isn’t room for his five-head here in the states.
“For every goal that Donovan scores he misses about ten.”
Hmm, let’s see. Donovan, 20 goals in 65 shots. Okay. Kenny Cooper, 18 goals in 119 shots. DeRosario, 7 goals in 78 shots. Yeah, I can see why you’d single out Donovan for this particular criticism.
Thank God for the competitive balance in the MLS. Landon’s dominance has completely crowded out the pretenders for the bottom of the table.
Good numbers, not very influencial any more. He needs to be surrounded by better players to pick up the slack when he goes missing.
Too bad he missed out on the strong Euro.
I hate to see LD leave the Galaxy, because when he’s on he’s thier best player. He does more than just score goals, he’s also a playmaker setting up other players, he frees up other players by normally being double or triple teamed, and he defends. That said it’s time for him to go. He needs to go play against better opposition and play with better players.
There is a good article about him in todays L.A. Times. Donovan talks about working with players on a team where some players are making $12,000 or $15,000 a year and how those players have different priorities. He doesn’t put them down just states matter of fact that it’s a reality of MLS. He goes on to say how mentally he’s constantly thinking what can he do improve himself and his performance. He wants to be around professional players that think like everyday. This seems to be the time to make that happen.
I’d really like to see him bypass the Premier League. As somebody above said, going to the EPL and playing for just about any team other then the Big Four probably won’t do much. See Clint Dempsey. I’d love to see him end up with a top German side or at least a solid Spanish side. His fluency in Spanish should give him more options than most Americans, I’d think.
All the rumors have him going to Bayern, which could work out, since he knows Klinsmann from LA and probably speaks a bit of German. But if he hated the lifestyle in Leverkusen so much, why would Munich be all that different. Weather, cuisine, etc. are still gonna suck.
If I were his agent I’d be trying to line up a gig in Spain. Donovan’s spanish is excellent and the more sophisticated playing style would suit him better.
Great move for the USMNT and Lando. The Galaxy can’t do worse without him (does it really matter how many points you miss the playoffs by — it’s all the same if you don’t make it). Best of luck to him… to Spain with you Lando!
Can’t say I’m a huge Landon fan, but I think this is an excellent move for him. He still has a lot to prove after previous attempts to “crack” Europe, and he is now more mature and confident to make a success of it this time around. I agree with other posts that he needs to find a club where he will be a key starter and not a benchwarmer – he’s way too good for that – and I believe he WILL become a better player over the next few years in the right environment. A top 6 Spanish team or French team would be a good bet, even Holland; I would definitely avoid EPL or Germany.
He’s best out of the whole Galaxy set up and I think it will actually help LA as they have suffered badly by paying too much to just a few players resulting in a hopeless squad of players that Lalas should be proud of!
Good luck Landon, on to bigger and better things.
I think we might see another Shalrie Joseph type situation play out in the next few months. The league’s valuation of Donovan is going to be so unrealistic that nobody’s going to bite. Crashing out of the Bundesliga and scoring a ton of goals on penalties against CONCACAF opposition isn’t going to win him any respect over there. Yet MLS will want 6 million at the very least.
For every goal that Donovan scores he misses about ten. He will go to Europe and sit on the bench like every other American player. He should stay
This is definitely a good move on his part and want to wish him the best as he takes his game to Europe. It’s a great time for him to go because in all reality the Galaxy have had trouble building a side that can compete week in and week out. The Beckham move has paid dividends in the stands but it has paid little everywhere else. Germany or Portugal would be a great fit for him I think, and as mentioned before much luck to the guy… Third time is a charm…
Yeah its going to be great to see another American ride the pine in Europe. Or better yet, maybe he’ll get the last 10 minutes of garbage time like everyone else.
This is definitely a good move on his part and want to wish him the best as he takes his game to Europe. It’s a great time for him to go because in all reality the Galaxy have had trouble building a side that can compete week in and week out. The Beckham move has paid dividends in the stands but it has paid little everywhere else. Germany or Portugal would be a great fit for him I think, and as mentioned before much luck to the guy… Third time is a charm…
After hearing his tone at the presser on Sunday, it’s clear that for the first time in his life he IS committed and eager to leave home .. ..
It sounds like he and Bianca have settled on this already and are ready to move .. ..
And, after being in football hell (LA) for the past sad years, it’s obvious to all that if he wants to reach his full potential, he has/wants to leave NOW!
GO LANDON!
Place like Getafe or Mallorca seems perfect for him.
I can’t wait to see him surrounded by high class talent. He’s going to f-n rock (if his got that mental edge he seems to have right now)
Extremely excited.
I’ll be selfish and hope that Landycakes gets a spot on a team with another American so that I have someone to cheer for in the Premier League again. Here’s to hoping Everton or Fulham adds Donovan and Gooch in the transfer window. Both teams sure could use both players.
I think it’s great. Doubt he can get much better at this age, but I’d like to see how he can do with better players around him and against fiercer competition. This is great news for the USMNT, but the Galaxy look to be a mess again.
I wonder if he was a little more motivated after Beck’s rumored move to milan.
…and I don’t think Tottenham will be struggling to stay up come January.
I just hope he doesn’t go to one of the teams in the EPL that is struggling to stay up. He needs a nice stable German, Dutch, or Spanish team. I just can’t see him working out with any EPL team outside of the top 4. And there’s no way in hell any of them would sign him. Maybe he could link up with Tottenham…they could sure use a forward who can put the ball in the net. I just don’t think LD can be an EPL forward. He’s not strong enough with his back to goal.