SOCCER
Why is MLS transferring more players to Europe than Liga MX?
Seven players from Major League Soccer made the switch to Europe’s top tier during the last transfer window.
Major League Soccer was one of the most active leagues during the last transfer window and before it closed, the LA Galaxy’s Julián Araujo completed his move to FC Barcelona. The idea of the LaLiga giants is for the Mexican-American to start developing in Barcelona B under manager Rafael Márquez and if required he will then be available for the first team.
MLS keeps transferring players to Europe
Once again, Major League Soccer is demonstrating that it is growing and becoming one of the most important leagues in the world. Clubs from Europe’s top tier are now looking to sign young talented players from MLS rather than other CONCACAF leagues like such as Mexico’s Liga MX. The United States top tier made some important transfers to Europe this winter like Paxten Aaronson to Eintracht Frankfurt, Jhon Durán to Aston Villa and Alexander Callens to Girona.
The contrary is happening in Liga MX because only two players were able to make the switch to Europe during the winter. The first one was Guillermo Ochoa. Following his impressive performance for Mexico at the World Cup, he joined Serie A side Salernitana on loan from Club América. The second player was César Montes, who left Monterrey to join Espanyol in LaLiga.
There are several reasons why MLS is transferring more players to Europe than Liga MX. The first reason is the price tag the clubs in the United States put on the players and their facility to negotiate with whomever is interested. For example, Christian Pulisic joined Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer and later on Chelsea paid $64 million to sign him.
On average, players in Major League Soccer have a price tag of $5.5 million, while in Mexico they are valued close to $10 million. The MLS is also willing to let players train with other teams during the off-season in order for them to gain some experience and continue their development in Europe, such were the cases of Bryan Reynolds and Joe Scally, who joined AS Roma and Borussia Mönchengladbach, respectively.
Another reason is the recent American investments in different clubs in Europe such as Manchester United and Liverpool, amongst others. It is speculated that 45 percent of teams in Europe’s top tier have American investors on their boards that are helping and influencing the signing of players during each transfer window.