Zlatan Ibrahimovic has reportedly played his last match for Manchester United as a long-awaited MLS move beckons.
According to ESPN, Ibrahimovic is close to finalizing a move to MLS with the LA Galaxy remaining the most likely to sign the Swedish star. Ibrahimovic has just months remaining on his Manchester United deal and has been told by manager Jose Mourinho that he is free to make his move stateside.
According to Sports Illustrated, the the forward has signed a two-year $3 million deal with the team. The deal is a TAM-level deal, as the Galaxy currently have three Designated Players on the roster in Giovani dos Santos, Jonathan dos Santos and Romain Alessandrini.
SI: Zlatan Ibrahimovic has signed a 2-year, $3 million deal with LA Galaxy on a TAM contract. Could be in the Galaxy squad for its March 31 rivalry game vs LAFC on big FOX https://t.co/BiTijMQ6jf
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) March 22, 2018
An announcement is expected before the end of the week as the forward could suit up as soon as next weekend’s clash with LAFC.
The Swede scored 29 goals in 53 appearances for United and has been long-linked to an MLS move, with the Galaxy in the picture for quite some time.
the zlatan is offended by these remarks
but seriously i was really hoping he’d come. i’ve got my big bag of popcorn out and i’m ready to be entertained. (does that sound like hell?)
If he doesn’t get injured.
He’ll tear it up!
Retirement league or not, Zlatan deserves a final day in the sun. At least he’s coming at the end of his career… unlike others whose names I won’t mention (I’ll give you a hint: they rhyme with Bempsey, Dradley, and Altisnore).
Nice logic. You make zero sense. So it is better for us to watch someone who is at the end, rather than people in their prime ?
The answer is no and LA hiring Lampard and Cole is a joke, while Toronto and Seattle are the last two champs and runner ups. ( Should have included Giovinco and Lodeiro to complete the picture )
Referring this as “logic” is a huge overstatement! Typical ignorance and hatred of MLS
Every franchise has their own approach, now more than ever in MLS. It is a good thing. The league has finally found a balance and salary/transfer rules that allows teams to choose between getting 10-15 really solid players or 3-5 really big names + role players. Who’s to say what’s better? Enjoy the difference.
Only thing that will come from this is further convincing rest of world that MLS is retirement league. No interest here in watching him play.
Only if you don’t know what you’re talking about. He signed a TAM deal, not a DP deal. This isn’t even close to as bad of a signing as say, KaKa
TAM or DP, who cares? Another ancient player coming to MLS. Retirement league.
Who cares what the world thinks of MLS right now? Zlatan is a great signing and I am excited to see what he does in the next 24 months.
The only thing that will change that perception is MLS producing more talent who succeed in Europe. Who is the last American to start in MLS, go abroad and have a successful career. Major drop off since Howard, Guzan, Dempsey, Cameron.
Yedlin is pretty much it. Miazga has potential. Any others?
I think thats it.
Yedlin looks like he has staying power in the Prem. Miazga I think is proving he has talent to play in Europe. We just don’t know at what level yet.
There may be another group about to make the leap including Acosta and Adams in the next year or two
It’s a pretty low bar but he’ll easily be the best player on that team.
Especially with the Dos Santos bros running around.. aye stupid?
LA continues on the same path. Sell jerseys and maybe it works out for soccer too.
Probably doesn’t.
Odd strategy for a team with a new neighbor run by Bradley, who knows how to build a winner and has relegated LAG to the second best team in town once before. They’ve been adrift since Keane left and since Keane was already 31 and rebounded from a down ebb at the end of his EPL career, you could question whether they have a good idea what they are doing, or just tripped over something lucky. When it was just Old Man Beckham’s team it was not very good. That was when Chivas USA was the better team in town (under….Bradley….hmmm).
Keane was the ultimate post Mega team player.
He took it seriously, stayed injury free, and won. LA either tried to replicate him or Beckham, who did nothing but made money.
Which ever it was, it didn’t work. Try, try again I guess.
I don’t believe Bradley ever coached Chivas at the same time Beckham was in LA???
First off, the ads on this site are getting really annoying. As to your comment, from a team needs standpoint, Zlatan will not make a difference between a championship and a short appearance in the playoffs. What they really need is a couple of good defenders because they are very thin at that position. Even with the dos Santos brothers being over rated, they wouldn’t have trouble scoring, even without Ibra. Another Galaxy p.r. move.
yall are hilarious…. Zlatan is a great singning for LA. 1.5 mil per year for a guy who scored 28 goals for Man Utd last season? He’s a bargain and is going to score 20 goals. Yes, he is 36 and coming off a knee injury, but there is tremendous value in nabbing one of the most talented players to ever step on an MLS field. The guy is an athletic freak. He will be one of the top goalscorers in the league. and yes he will sell tickets/jerseys.
At the end there he signed two more one-year Man U deals too many (while toying with MLS) and as a result this has probably gone from being an interesting signing of a big name still stretching his prime and producing goals, into signing a knee-knacked 36 year old just short of the retirement home. I suspect it will sell tickets and he may have a highlight moment or two, but LAG is wrong side of the playoff line right now, was last in conference last season, and is risking becoming the less cool LA team in the other team’s expansion year. I would be looking more long term and competitiveness than short term and tickets. But it’s their money.
Does anyone else seem to notice LAG get every player they want and seemingly strange rules no one has ever heard of allow it to happen?
Perhaps. But recognize that most of these players wouldn’t come to MLS unless they play in either NY or LA. It’s a packaged deal.
I get your point but it’s either a cap league with roster rules for all, or we have decided to have special cases and different rules for different teams. That players might prefer LA or NY doesn’t mean a league that elevates rules over people has to bend. As a Houston fan I always point out our titles came in the years between the Superteam Era and the DP Era, when there was a general hard cap with very limited salary grandfathering of a handful of players (Donovan, Johnson, etc.).
I’d prefer to see “Thierry Henry.” He wanted to come to America, touted MLS to others, wasn’t using us as negotiating leverage, played here 5 seasons. Where some of what they bring rubs off on the league and makes it more attractive. Givers. I don’t want Beckham constantly talking like he needs to go on loan to stay relevant to England, or people coming over here to retire but then their retirement is framed in some prior shirt. Takers. If people want money and fame there are other leagues where for a handful of players they will get out the checkbook, but the overall level is nothing and there is no pressure to play up to their name.
It’s not as bad as it used to be when the league first started and it felt like they wanted LA and DC to be superteams. Nominally there was a salary cap but they allowed signings and forced trades or whatever needed to happen. But even in this era you’ve had some sketchy stuff like Angel and Keane. And changes in regs like the original Beckham Exception (now DP), which in theory everyone can use, but not all can afford, do seem to coincide with desired player additions.
I see your points also, and don’t disagree. I’m all for ‘fairness’, to the extent it’s achievable. But at the end of the day, some are going to piss and moan no matter what system is put in place. Zlatan is someone I want to see in MLS, and I don’t feel that way about most of the retirement bound imports. Whatever it takes to make it happen IMO- even if he doesn’t end up on my crap team.
Meh. But I probably will buy a Ibra jersey.
Big part of why he is here.