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Galaxy announce signing of Nigel De Jong

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Following a series of big-name additions, the LA Galaxy’s offseason spending spree has yielded the club a high-level holding midfielder.

The Galaxy announced on Wednesday that the club has added Dutch international and two-time World Cup veteran Nigel de Jong. The Galaxy have signed the 31-year-old midfielder by utilizing Targeted Allocation Money.

“Nigel is an experienced midfielder who will help the players around him get better,” said Galaxy head coach and general manager Bruce Arena. “He will add qualities on the field that can strengthen our team in all areas. We look forward to Nigel coming to Los Angeles and joining our club.”

The veteran midfielder most recently featured for AC Milan, making 79 appearances for the club from 2012-15 while also assuming the role of captain. In addition, De Jong has played for Manchester City, Ajax and Hamburg throughout his career.

Internationally, De Jong has appeared 81 times for the Netherlands while appearing at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.

De Jong’s addition is just the latest of a busy offseason for the Galaxy, who have also acquired former England international Ashley Cole and Belgian defender Jelle Van Damme. In addition, the club has added former MLS MVP Mike Magee, veteran defender Jeff Larentowicz and goalkeeper Dan Kennedy while also selling Juninho and Omar Gonzalez for significant transfer fees.

What do you think of the addition? How will De Jong fare with the Galaxy?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. This is good entertainment. Not what we’re here for? Lot to take in here.

    Proven professionals will be passing on plenty of knowledge to a pretty good academy. It doesn’t take but a very brief look to see the successes the Los Dos and the rest of the academy have. They now have someone to look up to. Juninho, not so much.

    Moreover, these guys will have the bite to get results in Mexico. Throw in a couple of defensive mids, de Jong and Larentowicz, and McGee and you have a foul-by-committee scenario in the making to go and get a point just like Mexican and Central American teams have been doing to MLS teams for years.

    I will have fun watching this team.

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  2. I understand how many people are upset of Nigel and yes he is a dirty player but is a good player and good assets for the LA Galaxy, look at the line up that Bizzy did and on Paper is a Veteran Mix with Some young players. And is one that can at least be consider EPL, Liga, Bundeliga or Either on Seria A and I not saying that it will be one of top team in Europe but it can compete with other team in a mid table. I like it cause this team in paper can compete with the like of Santos Laguna, America, Pachuca or other team in from MX liga that are in the Concafca Champions.

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  3. The LA Times today has a good article on how the Galaxy were able to swing this financially. As explained in the article, the Galaxy are not only doing all of this under th cap, they are actually making money with these 3. They made $2.5 million by selling Gonzalez and Juninho and will spend only $500k on transfer fees for all 3 of these players, while the salary totals are just about even. Although I have my doubts that this is going to improve the team, it really is amazing how they were able to get mostly free transfers and have the previous clubs buy out contracts so that the Galaxy don’t have to pay them much this year. According to the article, De Jong will get DP money next year after Gerrard leaves.

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  4. Arena has taken in an “all in” approach with these moves. I haven’t heard it speculated yet, but I wonder if he’s planning on retiring in the next year or two.

    Either way, anything less than an MLS Cup (and perhaps another trophy, too) is a complete failure with this approach.

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  5. So the Galaxy bring in a guy who racially abused a USMNT player (Gooch) and a guy who helped end a USMNT player’s career (Holden)…..WAY TO GO MLS/BRUCE!

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    • OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

      Practicing for April when the Galaxy and NDJ come to Houston

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  6. ———- DOS SANTOS————KEANE————–

    LLETGET————–GERRALD————–ZARDES

    ——————- NIGEL DE JONG———————-

    A. COLE—–VAN DAMME—DELAGAZA–ROGERS

    ————————KENNEDY————————–

    Any team that beat LA Galaxy will be base on pure coaching brilliance. Wow
    (although the best PLAYERS do not always equal the best TEAM)

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  7. Not that long ago the Galaxy was looking like a model club within MLS. They were developing/drafting young players from its academies (Vilareal, Zardes, Gonzalez, AJ, etc..), through identification of quality young foreign players (Penido, Juninho, Sarvas, etc…), and had a sprinkling of big name DPs (Keane, Beckham, Donovan, Dos Santos, Gerard).
    Their actions this off season have me questioning WTF Bruce is doing….selling Gonzalez & Juninho than filling up on a ton of over-aged players (Magee, Larentowicz, Cole, De Jong, & Gordon). I just cant see this team of Old Folks lasting through the summer heat and all the travel associated with an MLS season. Just waiting for this team to implode.

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    • i disagree, i think it is pretty smart business. as reported today, LA got all three of these guys for LESS money than what Omar was making. in fact, it is for less money than what Omar AND Juninho were making ($1.8M). Omar was ready to move on and, from a US perspective, we needed him to have a change in scenery. Juninho is a guy that had been flirting with the idea of leaving and some LA got a decent transfer for. so replacing him with de Jong is actually pretty awesome.

      in short, Bruce and LA made a little of $2M in transfer fees, offloaded a decent chunk of cap space (right around $1.8M), and signed three DP-level players (in terms of their market value) without making them DPs.

      the Cole move is a bit questionable, but when you consider everything, trading out Omar for Damme was pretty great despite the age difference. and with de Jong, this is a guy, however we USMNT might not like him, is a very solid player. a guy who had just signed a multi-million dollar extension in 2015 for playing well.

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  8. Is there a good orthopedic surgeon in the greater Los Angeles area? This signing will lead to at least one devastating leg fracture at the StubHub Center.

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