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Werder Bremen: Jordan Morris signing a matter of ‘when, not if’

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It’s only a matter of time before Jordan Morris signs with Werder Bremen, according to the German club’s sporting director.

Speaking to German outlet Weser-Kurier, Werder Bremen official Thomas Eichin said it’s not a matter of “if” Morris will sign with the Bundesliga side but “when.” Gauge also says that Morris fits the needs of the club.

Morris flew to Germany to train with Werder Bremen following the conclusion of the MAC Hermann Trophy award ceremony on Jan. 8. He then provided an assist in the club’s friendly win against Inter Baku of Azerbaijan on Friday.

Following the friendly, the 21-year-old striker chose to travel back to Bremen with the team to extend his training.

Morris has been offered the largest Homegrown contract in the history of MLS by the Seattle Sounders, which hold the player’s MLS rights.

What do you think of this development? Think Morris will sign with Werder Bremen? Should he play with the Sounders in MLS?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. You have to take a chance and make the move now. Clubs buy players based on potential and at 21, that’s only going to go down, every year. Lighting up MLS isn’t even going to do much for him. If that were the case clubs would be offering Orlando millions for Larin.

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  2. This is great news. And a perfect fit for him, not a big team but big opponents to learn from. And they need what he has. Very happy for the kid. The entire argument with MLS is ridiculous, and Klinsmen is just doing what he should be doing, improving the player pool, if he can help, great. MLS should shut up and work at improving. Sunil Gulati and the USSF is failing us, and a soccer war brewing between MLS and USL vs NASL. This is stupid, they should start pro/rel now and end the instability of expansion.

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  3. I wonder if a loan scenario could be in the cards? Seattle signs him, loans to Bremen for rest of season? Bremen signs, loans to Sounders this summer? Probably not, but interesting possibility.

    Ideal scenario I see: Sounders sign, he plays 35 games this season with 20 starts. Goes to Bremen next winter with potential to buy. Not very likely since Bremen could lose interest if he is not in hand, but this way Bremen get their player, Morris gets slow transition to professionalism, and MLS gets some money.

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    • Don,

      This happens all the time in world of youth soccer. In most of Europe, outside the UK, you cannot sign a professional contract until you are 18 (UK it is 16). As such, EPL teams use this arbitrage opportunity to sign elite prospects between 16-18 from the EU (think Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd academies). All parent clubs get is the minimal FIFA compensation for youth development. This is is what is happening here with Morris, to a certain degree (and a couple years older). MLS/Seattle could only get the minimal amount for youth development, but that is not going to happen because MLS pushed back on paying Crossfire for Yedlin’s development even though he spent more time with them than the Seattle academy. Frankly, seeing Morris only spent 1 year with Seattle before going to Stanford (from what I read), he is hardly a “Homegrown” player.

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      • Another example why MLS should (continue to) relinquish control of teams and the decisions they make regarding players. I don’t see it happening because the league, or rather the commissioner / autocrat, are short-sighted and mainly interested in chasing the quick buck. But MLS should not own player contracts, clubs should. Yes, a European model. The only reason they keep resisting is to perpetuate their control over the image MLS puts out and costs it incurs. But regarding image, they should put their trust in the hands of passionate fans who are emerging everywhere – who in other places DEMAND that their club buys a certain player, or at a certain position (here, even AW concedes to Arsenal fans); and regarding costs, deals like this Morris one suggest that clubs might be better served going out on a limb to spend more in order to eventually make more. I think most people would agree that Jordan Morris is a sure bet, so why not offer him more money, enough to convince him to stay in Seattle? Why not take the risk at least? He could be a 5mill transfer in a year’s time. Because MLS. The Sounders’ offer to him seems super weak, and it is clearly because of a salary cap and tight league restrictions that aren’t enabling them to compete on a world market.

        Of course he signed for Werder Bremen. They must have offered triple what the Sounders did. And as Anthony deftly pointed out, neither MLS nor the Sounder’s will receive any compensation.

      • Anthony – I have no idea what you are talking about. Is it supposed to relate to my comment?

        Concorde – How naive are you? MLS is not designed to make a “quick buck” as you say. Quite the opposite… And the idea that a league full of “open market” clubs would be more successful than the current one is ludicrous. You say that fanbases would be holding teams accountable for the product that they produce when these fan bases are only in their infancies. You think the 5,000 hardcore fans that each team holds any power over anything??

        You guys are clueless.

  4. “American college kid turns down German club to play with his hometown team in Seattle”.

    Here’s the lede on Good Morning America in a few days.

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  5. I’m glad that Fox Sports picked up the Bundesliga since I’m going to be watching a lot more. Now if Pulisic could make the first team that would really be something. As it is, most every weekend there’s sure to be a game televised that will include an American. A good move for Morris.

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      • Slow,

        I don’t he is referring to him as an American, but as a teenager. He even states so explicitly. For what it’s worth, I also think that it is VERY hard/near impossible for a teenager to crack the starting lineup of the 2nd best team in the bundesliga. They are only 8 points behind Bayern and 2nd in goals scored in the league.

      • Apparently your left arm isn’t the only thing that’s slow. So which player is Pulisic going to unseat in midfield? Reus, Mhkitaryan, Kagawa, Gundogan, Castro, Weigl, Sahin, or Bender. Heck Dortmund just sent back Adnan Januzaj on loan because he couldn’t sniff the field.

        This has nothing to do him being American. I’m just being realistic.

      • He’s not going to turn 20 for almost three more years so I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of him unseating some of those players as a teenager. Many of them may have moved on from Dortmund by then anyway.

      • While you’re right in saying the path to first team will not be easy; there is a lot of depth and talent he will have to compete against. But IMO, you’re statement about how someone is delusional to think he can’t crack the first team is just as bad as anyone who thinks he has automatically just unseated some of the players you mentioned. Both are very hyperbolic.

        Its no secret BVB seem to have not only recovered from last year, and have made the title race a little more interesting this year. But its also no secret, that BVB it would be very difficult for BVB to catch up to Bayern in the near future. BVB are looking long-term, to reestablishing themselves ontop of the Bundesliga by doing what they did when Klopp first; promote through the academy, and scout unknown players.

        With that said, I’d be more concerned BVB finding a young, first-team ready AM/SS from Eastern Europe or Asia, than any veteran player currently playing.

  6. I get the point that you are making, but ion this case “hold the player’s MLS rights” does not appear to be inaccurate.

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  7. I wish articles would stop referring to Seattle “owning his rights”. They do not. All Seattle “owns” is the right to sign him first in the MLS. When and if WB signs Jordan Morris, Seattle will receive nothing in return,as they own nothing.

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