John Brooks has reportedly found the next move of his club career with a first-ever spell in Spain on the horizon.
La Liga club Mallorca is reportedly finalizing a deal to sign Brooks, Spanish outlet Marca reported Tuesday. Brooks has been a free agent following the expiration of his contract with Bundesliga club Wolfsburg in May. He is expected to undergo a medical on Wednesday, Fox Sports reported.
Brooks, 29, spent the last six seasons with Wolfsburg, totaling 146 appearances, seven goals, and five assists for the German club. He made the first four UEFA Champions League appearances of his career last season for Wolfsburg, and ended his season on a high note by helping Wolfsburg avoid any relegation fight at the bottom of the league table.
Brooks began his club career with Hertha Berlin, eventually making 132 appearances for the first team from 2011-17. He joined Wolfsburg ahead of the 2017-18 campaign for roughly $18.7 million, totaling 30 or more appearances in each of the last four seasons.
On the international level, Brooks has earned 45 caps with the U.S. men’s national team to date, but has not featured since the opening round of Concacaf World Cup Qualifying in September 2021. His lone 2014 FIFA World Cup appearance came in a 2-1 win over Ghana, a match in which Brooks scored the winning goal as a second-half substitute.
Mallorca is 1-1-1 in the opening stages of the new La Liga campaign, sitting ninth in the league table with four points. Javier Aguirre’s squad faces Girona on Sept. 3 before visiting defending La Liga champions and UCL winners Real Madrid on Sept. 11.
Does Benfica play a high line?
The guy didn’t have a job the entire summer before the World Cup. No idea how anyone thinks he should be called up to camp. Obviously the national team wasn’t important to him (which is completely his perogative). If this was his attitude all summer what was it like last year? It’s not like a switch went off in his head the moment his contract was up in May and his behavior changed.
Do they play a high line?
I wondered that too. Unclear if that’s still able to be a factor, or if time just got short and he needed to take an offer somewhere.
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Anyway, despite Berhalter’s emphasis on that point, I hope Brooks at least gets a little time to settle in (and practice his Spanish!) before people start grilling him about how far he can come forward.
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In fact, as I remember him, he wasn’t at all shy about coming forward individually, and could even make the occasional good long pass to open up play; it was just getting back fast afterward that was more a challenge for someone of his height and build. But maybe that had changed at Wolfsburg; hard to say since ESPN held the rights but refused to actually show the games on TV. (Not that La Liga will be any better, sadly.)
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I did use to think he seemed to organize a back line and communicate pretty well, so maybe his experience will still help no matter how high they try to play?
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Maybe some of you tactics mavens can weigh in on how much the high back line really matters.
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all due respect but i’ve seen brooks give up US goals with the defense sitting back, just the same. the “high line” thing struck me as GB making but limiting his criticism. the real problem is he’s an immobile zone back, which can be a problem pinned back just the same. he also helped give up the goals in the england friendly and guess who we drew.
Johnnyrazor wrote,
“As I told you last week, he’s given up on the NT[,] he’s just doing what he feels is best for him and his family.”
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Oh? I must have missed that. Does he have a young family, or does that mean his mom, or what? In any case, surely family reasons and Mediterranean sun would be better for his own health and peace of mind than, say, looking for a party island with a lot of cheesy nightlife, which might have had me a little worried.
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Apparently Steve Nash and Graeme Le Saux are both associated with that club?They both seem like sensible, smart guys. Is it at all possible that someone with experience like that might even be able to sort of help Brooks reassess his form and mindset, and just encourage him to catch a second wind and keep on going, even if he doesn’t get back to the USMNT until maybe next year?
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People seemed to have the impression earlier that Berhalter doesn’t necessarily want to close the door on Brooks forever. That could obviously change if other guys stay healthy and keep playing well, but on the other hand, you never know when someone else might have an injury or other problem.
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In any case, we can all continue to wish him well, and a speedy return to match fitness. Good to have a place to play.
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I’m not sure of his relationship status was speaking in generalities that another nice pay check will help whomever he eventually leaves his fortune to.
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I’m pretty sure Stu Holden also has a ownership stake in Mallorca.
Yes, evidently, thanks. I confess that Nash’s and Le Saux’s fashion and hair choices give me more confidence in their intelligence, but Holden could indeed also be willing and able to give helpful advice. (Or does he not have a retro-Nazi-like shaved head after all? For some reason I find it hard to keep him mentally distinct from Taylor Twellman, sorry.)
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Yet he can’t get called up over MLS players.. USMNT defined right here. Should have you never been out of the lineup
Well, I definitely wouldn’t mind living in Mallorca, so it’s got that going for it. Curious to see if it ends up factoring for the USMNT in any way, though it seems doubtful. Definitely didn’t work out for Hoppe though Brooks is a ton more established than Hoppe was.
Also looks like Man U is making a late swoop in for Segino Dest. Dest had better hope that goes through; Xavi [i]really[/i] doesn’t seem as though he wants him at Barca.
Looks like no move for Pulisic this window. Might be for the best. He’ll show up in Qatar with a chip on his shoulder and a lot less likely to be injured, and he always seems to play better when he’s mad.
Exactly what Chelsea is hoping for. They want to to be able to sell Pulisic and try to reclaim what they spent on him. A very good World Cup for Pulisic could see another team buy Pulisic in the up coming 2023 summer transfer window. Or even a team panic buying in the winter transfer after the WC. Brooks to Mallorca is a good move. Dest to Man United is a good move. Ten Hag wants Dest.
i think pulisic needs to move for his own reasons but currently fulham and leeds are ahead of struggling CFC and as with lampard’s opinion of pulisic, i wouldn’t treat tuchel’s take as definitive. actually he’s had a series of coaches dating back to dortmund bench him and the team does worse. in terms of who plays “tomorrow,” that coach says, but coaches are, shall we say, fungible. i tend to trust more the opinions of the coaches with silverware or who have been in a prime spot for a decade. coach whose team is struggling and might get fired “next week,” not so much.
i like the balearics myself however there is the hoppe experience, and then people are forgetting he’s out of contract and not practicing formally with anyone, unlike a transfer who is with ManU yesterday and someone else today. what is his fitness, and he’s missed their camp. his timing feels like a window move but technically it’s not, he’s on a free, has been since last season ended. not sure why someone with USMNT didn’t sign earlier, including at this same team if he wanted it. feels greedy but i am speculating.
someone with MNT aspirations. like if he wants GB watching he will just be starting practice, who knows when playing games. no games since last season for club. unlikely then to make september friendlies unless GB is very lenient. and that would make november a “cold call.” i think he’s either given up or his 10% gave him awful advice how to run career choices right now. he kind of needed to be signed in may or june, in camp in july, and racking up game film for GB to watch by august.
As I told you last week, he’s given up on the NT he’s just doing what he feels is best for him and his family. I’m assuming a decent contract and a beautiful place to live with incredible weather.
GB’s history is actually rewarding players for doing the selfish thing if he can justify it on club form. richards sat out the summer last year and that ultimately didn’t rule him off the team as it would have before. i wish GB was as principled about player limitations as you seem to think. i think if he has to deal with injuries or gets frustrated with someone he has a tendency to run in circles eg steffen and horvath. i want to believe he’s seen the light on brooks. i will believe it when the november roster is final.