By FRANCO PANIZO
Back-to-back seasons as Bolton’s best may yield a move to another Championship club for Tim Ream.
Queens Park Rangers is looking to bolster its back line and has submitted a bid of $1.56 million for Ream, according to a Tuesday report from ESPN FC. Ream, 27, is coming off consecutive seasons in which he was named Bolton’s top player, but only just finished the first of three years on his current deal.
Ream has made 114 league appearances for Bolton since joining the club in February 2012, appearing in both Premier League and Championship games. Last season, the versatile defender started 42 of the 44 games he appeared in.
Ream was most recently with the U.S. Men’s National Team at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and played in two matches in the tournament.
What do you think about QPR’s interest in Ream? Should he switch clubs or is the move a lateral one? Think MLS should make a push for him to return?
Share your thoughts below.
I’d go for the move if I were him. QPR have a much better chance of promotion, due to their relegation money, than Bolton and even if they go right back down, the better players from relegated teams get picked up by Prem teams. i.e., it’s his best chance to return to regular play in the EPL.
So in the MLS preseason I was proposing,…and hoping that Red Bulls would make an offer to Bolton for Tim Ream. He is exactly the type of player they need. Team him up with Robles, Miazga and Lawrence and I really like that back line. Wow!
As some kindly pointed out above, Red Bulls sold him for approximately $4MM a few years ago. Ream, now 27, is a much more seasoned pro in his prime,…and they can get him back for less than half of what they sold him for. Why wouldn’t they do that??? Shocking.
I doubt Ream would do it because the Championship pays more than MLS, and Red Bulls is a cheap organization. Look at their salaries. It is a good estimate that if he came back, he would be 2nd highest paid defender (less that Omar’s 1.2, but more than Beasler’s 600k). How did I come up with a number? Median or average (I forgot which one) salary in the Championship last year was between 500-600k. He is the reigning 2 time player of the year at a good sized Bolton club. It’s a fair assumption that he is making more than 600k.
If I was Ream, I would not do it. With Rumors than QPR want me and a good chance to play the premier League and double or triple my salary, why come back to MLS to make 200/300k a year?
In 2012 Ream’s salary was listed as 1.04 million pounds per year.
That was 1.6 million dollars three years ago. Who knows what it is now.
I don’t think 600K playing for RBNY will do it.
Ream was making GBP1.06 (more like $1.75 in Jan ’12) when he was in the Premiership. When teams get relegated there is usually a release clause of some sort so they are not burdened by the high salaries. According to the Daily Mail article I read last Winter, the average pay in the Championship was GBP 486,033/yr or $750-800,000/yr.
I seriously doubt that Ream has been on the equivalent of $1.6/1.7 million a year for the past 3 years. While there are Championship players that do make over a million a year, they tend to towards the top of the table. The overwhelming majority are on mid to high 6 figures. We don’t know what his wages are, but I think that he is better than average (keep in mind defenders are paid less than midfielders and forwards). There isn’t huge range in salaries except for some recently demoted clubs, but I would guess he might be on about GBP 700K with his new contract ($1.05-1.1 million -> just under Omar money).
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2833020/Premier-League-wages-dwarf-Europe-flight-players-England-earning-average-2-3million-year.html
Liga MX average is 2x’s the MLS average, but MLS is very skewed by the top end salaries. Another article I read put the MEDIAN Liga MX salary at over 4x’s MLS median salaries (which is less than the MLS average – about 1/2 the average).
http://screamer.deadspin.com/chart-the-average-player-salaries-in-soccer-leagues-ar-1658856283
Whatever Ream’s actual current salary is, he has been outstanding for Bolton.
He’s acclimated to England and, to the best of my knowledge has never indicated any desire to come back.
Why should he want to want to move to his old team for less than Gonzo money? If the QPR rumours are true then he should have no trouble equaling or beating Gonzo’s salary in England.
I don’t know why everyone assumes all American players in Europe would come home if the money were better.
Good money for a defender who can’t defend
If you had to choose one US player to blame for that goal it was Boca- Asamoah’s run was coming more from his direction and so was a bit closer to him than Demerit, but really he just split the two of them- a brilliant run onto a lucky ball that was perfectly positioned between the two CB’s. Ultimately, I wouldn’t say such a play was really the US player’s fault but rather Asamoha’s brilliance combined with the perfect long ball. Plus, this was in extra time when these guys were exhausted.
I actually am not that far off from your views on Demerit, but let’s not overestimate how great Gooch/Boca- and that’s who we are comparing.
When is Ream going to get the respect he deserves from the US Nats? Reminds me of Jay Demerit situation- couldn’t get a sniff of playing time for a long time until other players got injured… and when he got his chance he proved to be the best Nats CB of his generation. Proving yourself week-in and week out for a solid Championship club does not happen by accident.
100% agree! Would love to see him at LB with Johnson at RB
Ream is one player whose Gold Cup enhanced his USMNT chances going forward.
He may get a shot at left back and holding midfielder
Sorry, but Boca & Gooch were the best US Center Backs of that generation. The 2008 & 2009 pairing of Boca & Gooch were in contention for the best ever CB tandem that the USMNT has ever had. DeMerit became the default RCB when Gooch went down with his knee injury (and never got back to the level he was prior).
Boca and Gooch may have got more playing time for Nats over a longer stretch, but Demerit was slightly better than them for the US during the 2008-2010 period when he had the chance to actually play. Gooch was great at CC 2009 but Demerit’s performance against Spain was legendary; plus he was the best CB in South Africa. His club career was also better from 2005-2010 at Watford, where he was captain and led his team to promotion to the EPL.
*best CB in South Africa for US.
I’m relying on my memory here, but I recall that it was Demerit who was most responsible for a crucial goal given up. I believe it was the second goal scored by Ghana in the round of 16 during the 2010 World Cup, which gave them the win. Maybe someone will correct me if I’m wrong. Demerit was a serviceable back who over achieved, but he wasn’t any better than that. As I recall his story, he went over to England without any offers and began playing on the equivalent of a semi-pro team and worked his way up. He deserves a lot of credit for what he achieved, but don’t get carried away.
I believe it was Boca who got beat on the goal in ET.
It was Boca.
Gooch was better than Demeritt BEFORE his knee injury; but in South Africa hit was clear that he was not at his best and the pairing of Demeritt and Boca was our best option.
I have said it before, but the two-day span where Charlie Davies was hurt terribly in a car accident and then Gooch twisted his knee to crap in the last qualifier set the US back substantially.
Agree. Why is he not starting ahead of a couple of unproven 22 year olds. I understand you have to ‘bloody’ them but if they dont have a top division club career and after a few games aren’t showing much why are they starting in the semi final and final of CONCACAF Championship?
ok. what did bolton pay for Ream? that’s what i want to know 1st.
I believe Bolton paid us 3 mil for Ream
Bolton paid 2.5 million pounds for Ream. However, that’s when they were in the Premier League.
They paid Eur 3.1 million in Jan 2012 (when the Euro was still about 1.35) which was equivalent to about $4.1. $4.1 is about Eur 3.75 now given the poor Eur conversion (even the Pound Sterling is roughly the same 1.6 USD/GBP).
However, keep in mind that Bolton was a premiership team when they bought him.
I don’t look at a Scottish team as a step up for Tim
for your sake, i hope you are joking…
Queens Park Rangers are English club from London
Rangers FC is a Scottish club from Glasgow.
Queen’s Park is also a Scottish Club from Glasgow.
Queen’s Park, as well as Fulham, are taking a conservative, smarter approach to the transfer market, choosing to invest in proven players through out the football league. I fully expect Rangers to make a strong push for promotion this year, as in every year they’ve been in the Championship
Steven Caulker is loaned out to Southampton, so as of now, he’ll be competing with veteran incumbent Clint Hill. The other spot is firmly solidified by their captain Nedum Onuoha.
Honestly, he’d be the perfect partner to the right footed Nedum Onuoah. I really hope this happens.
Ream also pays left back and holding midfielder.
QPR is just fishing before the transfer window closes. It’s every Championship teams wishes to make a run for the EPL and now is the time to stock up. QPR has some relegation money and are looking to upgrade.
But Ream is a starter for a team who have the same ambitions, but no relegation money. Thye might sell if there is a player they have or want to bring in, but I do not see Bolton selling for that kind of money. Two mil and you might be talking.
They may have ambitions, just as they’ve had every season since they were relegated, but their roster is largely they same as their last two unsuccessful seasons and there’s no reason to believe that this year will fair any better.
QPR could bring in 30 million pounds by player sell ons and selling players this summer. They can do better than 1 million for the Ream Machine. They have gotten their crap together at QPR and I think Ream would be a good addition they just need to spend a decent bit of money to get him in. I think it would be a good step up for him and a chance to spend some time in London is nice for him. West London has been good to us Yanks.
You mean Fulham 😛
I don’t know why Bolton would sell to a competitor. I know why Ream would go since QPR is more likely to get promoted. That being said, I don’t know how much you want one championship to pay another championship team in transfer fees. 1 -2 million sounds right. It is not like he was on the Championship of the year.
Maybe Bolton need the money.
Ream is at the age and the point in his career where his value to Bolton as a saleable asset is about as high as it is going to get.
It might be different if Bolton were gearing up to make a push for promotion anytime real soon but I haven’t seen that.
Bring him home! He would make a great addition to an MLS team, he won’t get much better playing in the EPL at 27.
He’d look great next to Matt Miazga.
You do know that he is being sarcastic, right?
Is he being sarcastic? Me thinks not.
Additionally, QPR isn’t in the PL…
Nope….you’re right…..playing Vs the best competition the world has –in your prime playing years……NO….that won’t improve you AT ALL.
Go ahead…go to MLS and stagnate Vs lesser/but improving comp.
US players NEED to stay overseas to improve their own credibility as well as of US players in general. Nothing wrong with MLS, but not going overseas, just stunts development.
I would allow though, that the EPL — should nOT be the only league considered.
Phew… ok nice to know. So I know how to proceed…. by chance would you allow the championship?
QPR is not in the EPL! It is in the Chanpionship which is agruably equal or less than MLS.
MLS is equal to the Championship? Are you mentally handicapped? No MLS team could finish in the mid table of League One division 3.