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Report: Agudelo still holding out hope for move to England

AgudeloRevs-USAToday

 Photo by Trevor Ruszkowski/ USA TODAY Sports

 

By RYAN TOLMICH

Despite all of the work permit issues that have kept him from making a move to the English Premier League the past year, Juan Agudelo is reportedly still determined to ply his trade in England.

Agudelo is still a free agent after Stoke City parted ways with Agudelo last summer due to his inability to acquire a UK work permit. The 21-year-old American forward still maintains hope that he can find a home in England, with the Washington Post suggesting he was trying a new approach to being eligible to play in the Premier League.

The Washington Post report also claimed that New York City FC was interested in Agudelo, and that the New England Revolution, who maintain Agudelo’s MLS rights, were also interested in Agudelo prior to acquiring Jermaine Jones.

Agudelo hasn’t featured in an official match since completing a loan stint with Dutch side FC Utrecht, for whom he scored three goals in 18 appearances while on loan from Stoke City.

What do you think of Agudelo’s situation? Think he should keep holding out for the Premier League? Think he needs to aim for a smaller league? See him coming back to MLS?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. The guy could have stayed in the dutch league. Btw I’m a huge Agudelo fan but he didn’t have a great season at the dutch league. First dominate the Dutch league then start thinking about England.

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  2. I’m really disappointed with Agudelo’s choices, but it’s his career and he is obviously free to do whatever he thinks is best. He needs to find the right situation, a club that really values him where he can grow as a player… and I don’t understand his obsession with playing in the PL. He had a good situation in New England where he was in the best form of his career. He probably would be scoring loads of goals right now with guys like Nguyen, Jones and Rowe pulling the strings in midfield.

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    • That would make a lot of good sense if New England was a part of the equation. Honestly, holding out for Stoke would be lame unless they are helping him with the citizenship process in Cyprus (money point of view). MLS has there own allotment rules should Adugelo return. He may not necessarily get to play for New England and maybe he would not want to return to New England if he had the chance.

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  3. I think the NYCFC move would be the best thing for him…playing with Lamps and Villa would both show that he plays better when surrounded by quality and would provide him with a nice shop window in which to display himself to get the move he really wants…

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  4. his career, his choice but if he was playing consistently anywhere; New England, Holland, Mexico, whatever, he would have been on that WC roster & the Gold Cup roster next year! Im sure EPL money and competition is appealing but is Stoke really worth holding out for? missing over a year of your prime career for some below average EPL team in north England?

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    • If Agudelo has the money the Cyprus Citizenship by Investment program is a no brainer. He would only need to step foot in Cyprus every 7 years I believe. I don’t know what professional athletes do with there money, but I would put them in Swiss Annuities or 30 year US government bonds and have money for life. Only the US, UK, and Germany guarantee there bonds with tax payer money. A Swiss annuity protects you from the US government, any government judgements, and vengeful ex spouses…yep your money is secure for life in Switzerland. Living on the interest is possible for a lifetime.

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  5. If Agudelo is really passing up better offers in order to play in the Premiership he is really kinda naive. As a result he has to sink or swim with his choices

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  6. I hear Agudelo is trying to get Cyprus citizenship. 5 million Euro Cyprus government bond, 650K Euro home, some due diligence fees, and he can get Cyprus citizenship in 3 months. Depending on how soon he started the process he should be finishing everything up. It would have taken 12 months and been a lot cheaper if he did this with Malta. Malta has better and lower tax rates than ANY country in the EU.

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    • Citizenship by investment in Cyprus and Malta. Yanks abroad and future yanks abroad would do well to study up on this stuff.

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    • Why not Portugal. Buying a home of a certain value gives you residency and you can play in their league. A few more years and you are a Portuguese citizen.

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      • Portugal? 6 years resident before citizenship. Most counties offer naturalization after 5 years like Belgium. Hardly a help for Agudello. Nope, the only fast track for EU citizenship is Cyprus. 3 months with a 5 million Euro government bond (which he would collect interest on every 6 months), 650K home, a few other fees and a Cyprus passport (non Shengen). Portugal or Belgium would be nice to get a contract in those leagues for the purpose of dual citizenship. If Klejstan was aware I think he would already have gotten Belgian citizenship, but he seems disillusioned with soccer thanks the Klinnsman. Gooch did get his citizenship after 3 years I believe, but since then Belgium changed there naturalization laws…to now 5 years.

      • Are you going to blame Sacha’s disillusionment on JK???? Wow! If anything, he’s getting disillusioned because he went from being a starter to not even playing. THAT is why he is unhappy. They guy went from 90K a year to Eur 800K (after taxes) and married to a model who happens to be his best friend. He has nothing to be disillusioned about.

  7. Its kind of strange how he is trying so hard to get into the best league possible, but Klinsmann gives a call to someone in the NASL. I have never seen Ibarra play, but I think its pretty comfortable to say that Agudelo is a better player. Weird how Klinsmann won’t help a player to achieve what Klinsmann has been preaching since day 1; play in the best league possible. Agudelo would definitely benefit from a call in with the USMNT.

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    • the Revs tried this. they have right of first refusal because he had a bona fide contract offer from them before he left. it was reported that they offered him a short contract to get him through January but he rejected it and was not interested in MLS whatsoever.

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  8. just a word of advice, it might be worth mentioning the “new approach” that is mentioned. which is him buying a house in Cyprus which would allow him to get a EU passport.

    either way, i think it’s insane that he is so obsessed with England that he was willing to pass up on multiple offers from good clubs/leagues outside England.

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      • Given that the best team he could sign with last time around was Stoke and even they viewed him as a long-term project, yea, it’s absolutely insane. England isn’t the end-all and be-all of good soccer, and if you’re going to go, you’d better be ready. Even before the work permit issues, it wasn’t clear that he was ready.

      • huh? how could you possibly get that from what i said? i think it’s insane to reject Anderlecht, Utrecht, and Mainz or not lower his salary requirement in order to get a deal done with Sporting. all because he is holding out for a deal in England. that’s what’s insane.

        Agudelo’s agent probably found the property “loophole” and sold him on it. then they went off and played hardball with the whole Cyprus thing as Plan B, despite knowing he would be clubless for 6 months.

        my best guess is he didn’t want to commit long term to any of those clubs and would rather do nothing, get the EU passport, and basically hope that he will get signed to an EPL team come January.

      • Yeah…seems foolish too me. Why not sign a 1 or 2 year contract with Utrecht or then get a move in the Fall with more experience (and EARN MONEY) in the process.

    • Interesting detail about the Cyprus/Permanent Residency angle. Buy a home for 300k Euros and get a passport. I sense a trend in the works. Luis Gil, Will Trapp, Gyasi Zardes..save some bucks to buy a Cyprus vacation home!

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      • not a bad plan if its true!

        or he could have just played for the national team during the 2013-14 seasons – totally think that he could best Jozy and Johannsson for the striker role – and transfer into the EPL the traditional way…

        hard work.. screw that, buy your way into success…

      • “hard work.. screw that, buy your way into success…”

        You’re kidding right??? I don’t see the issue if it’s not illegal.

  9. RBNY should set its sights on Altidore and/or Agudelo, Bringing one of them home would help to blunt the PR splash from the Mankees’ start of play in 2015.

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    • Bring ’em both back!!! If this is T. Henry’s “last season” as the media reports suggest (as well as NYRB senior mgt), then they have the salary cap room to sign them both.

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      • Be careful what you wish for — whoever the striker is, he’ll still need someone to get him the ball, so regardless of which one comes (we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves, but anyway . . .), I’d strongly hope for Henry to stick around too. But i would swap either one for Cahill.

  10. “What do you think of Agudelo’s situation?”

    It’s his career and I can’t fault him for having aspirations or goals, i.e. wanting to play in England. However, I can’t see how missing action (while healthy) is beneficial at all to his career path.

    Hopefully he lands somewhere new and lands a new agent ASAP. I would enjoy seeing him come back to MLS, though and NYCFC would cool.

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  11. If he had only stayed at NE… Granted they probably wouldn’t have made the move for Jones, but Agudelo is exactly what the Revs need up top…

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    • Charlie Davies is actually doing very well with hold up play, but Juan would have scored a lot more goals… as it is they’re relying on midfielders for most of their goals.

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