Haji Wright is on the move to the Danish Superliga.
Sonderjyske announced the acquisition of Wright on Sunday, signing him to a two-year contract with a one-year option for the 2022-23′ season. Wright was not retained by Eredivisie side VVV Venlo after spending only one season in the Netherlands.
“Even though I am only 22 years old, I have played for many years in Europe,” Wright said. “Among other things in the Bundesliga and the Eredivisie. I have learned a lot from that, and I want to take all my experiences with me to my time in Sønderjyske.”
“I have many goals with my stay in Sønderjyske. First of all, we have to win a lot of matches, but I also want to win some trophies with the club. In addition, I will score a lot of goals so I can help the team to that.”
Wright has found it tough since leaving Bundesliga side Schalke in the Summer of 2019. He made 22 appearances in the Eredivisie last season, but failed to find the back of the net despite registering one assist. The abrupt end to the league season due to the COVID-19 pandemic saw Venlo remain in the top-flight, but the club did not re-sign the American striker.
The former U.S. Youth Men’s National Team player now moves to Denmark, joining fellow Americans Emmanuel Sabbi, Christian Cappis, and Jonathan Amon, whom also play in the top two divisions.
“Haji is a player who has had some crazy conditions and who still has it, but he lacks the final breakthrough in a league,” Sonderjyske sporting director Hans Jurgen Haysen said. “Here we have for several seasons shown that we have been good at taking players in, as you can see can do a lot of things, but just lack the last code to crack it before it can come out in full bloom, and that Haji Wright is a good example of that.”
Wright will begin preseason training with his new club on Monday.
Sonderjyske’s schedule begins in early September with the UEFA Europa League third round of qualifying kicking off before Superliga play.
I saw him play in a few youth tournaments. He always struck me as a guy that only got by because of athleticism. Each time he couldn’t beat an opposing player 1v1, he gave up. I think he never learned proper technique/tactics as a youth and now he’s competing against grown men….. I hope he fares well in Denmark but at 22, his window is closing from a Euro perspective…..
series of bad career choices. come home and reboot. like he’s trying to avoid MLS on purpose when it may be his best fit. he’s already 22 and the 2 U20 cycles after him are passing him by. he can keep taking European paychecks to be a part time or bench guy or he can look for something more his level.
i expect to be criticized and then i expect we will have this same conversation in about 2022.
He started 15 of 26 league games and played in 22 of 26. It’s hard to read much into the season because the team was pretty bad. He had 5 g in 6 matches for VVV II (who play in the U21 league unlike Ajax and PSVs U21s that play in the 2nd division). He’s always dominated at the youth level when his speed and athleticism prevails. Against pros his skill hasn’t been good enough. I’m fine with another year, he’s not even close to national team level, I believe he’s still eligible for the Olympics so a good year and a good showing in Tokyo could turn him around. I think a return to MLS would only highlight how average his professional game is.
He’d be eligible for the Olympics regardless what choice he makes. As it stands he played less than half a game twice for the U23s, hardly dominant or assured of the roster. And my point is he should think more about his long term career. Half time in Holland is actually unimpressive. To me he is danger of fizzling into Gideon Zelalem. You come back home at 24 or 25 and you are in practice no longer developmental, you make the MLS dress roster or you go to USL like a college graduate to prove yourself. Which would be ironic considering he went to great lengths to play Cosmos instead of MLS as a teen. He reminds me of the Ibeaghas in the sense that he’s afraid of MLS to almost self defeating lengths. Ending up in the minors to avoid contractual obligation is silly. Making lateral moves in Europe when you weren’t playing enough last place is silly.
I don’t know that the Danish league is any better than MLS, so he should get to play a lot. Denmark is a pleasant country, it gives him more options in Europe should his play improve and the average salary in Denmark is around $440 k per year. I don’t see any downside there.
He’s 22 and his career is aimless and has no traction. He was on trajectory for the U20s then didn’t make that team. He played a couple of less than half games for the U23s. He played a little for the Cosmos. He was a sub for Schalke, and spent the rest of his time on loan or the II team. He played half time for Venlo. This is a key juncture where his next move tells you if he is a journeyman bouncing around coming off a bench, or whether he regains momentum, becomes a starter, and makes the Olympic team. There are a lot of players who were supposed to be the next big thing and then fizzled and are basically forgotten. And people will read me the salaries they earned and the name brands they dressed for — but those become historical and soon enough they are either bouncing around Europe every year or suiting up in USL. The idea is to be hitting your prime at 23 and in demand to sign a deal with a good club — not to be released from those contracts and name brands at that age. To be Dempsey moving up and not Zelalem moving down. Yes, Zelalem once cashed Arsenal checks and Dempsey spent a lot of time in MLS. But you make more money over time from a sustained career that takes flight, than from the fast track.
What’s the harm though of going to Denmark? He’ll play every week, competition similar to MLS. If he was going to be a lock star sure, but he hasn’t shown that level. You continue to over regard youth talent. A huge percentage of youth national team players never make it. They are either like Zelalem who wasn’t athletic enough, like Wright who isn’t technical enough, or Carlton who can focus enough. If you look at that 2015 U17s almost all are back ups in USL, with exception of Pulisic and Adams. Then you have Wright in Denmark, Perez in Spanish 2, Olesunde in English Championship, and Vazquez as a backup on FC Cinci.
When he got a chance to play in the Bundesliga due to injuries to others I saw him several times and he looked very much like a player lacking confidence and self belief. His lack of success at Venlo probably didn’t help in that regard. Hopefully he can get some of that in Denmark. The remarks of the sporting director make it sound like they recognize the problem.I hope that with the right environment he can make some progress and start scoring some goals.
I looked up their stats and transfers over the last few seasons and couldn’t find any obvious examples of them turning around players, and no sign of sending players anywhere other than other teams in Denmark. Seems like just sporting director spin, sigh. I had big hopes when he was dominating with Wes in the Junior A Bundesliga.