It appears the reunion tour for Jozy Altidore and MLS will not go through his old club the New York Red Bulls. After Taylor Twellman reported yesterday that the Red Bulls had their eyes set on bringing Altidore back, news broke today that this deal will not happen. The main reason? Altidore is to expensive, which is just plain ridiculous if you ask me.
You look at Altidore, a player who once had the world at his fingertips and now cannot score a goal to save his life and you have him and Sunderland asking for upwards of $5-6 Million for his services. When Altidore joined Sunderland in 2013, the club dished out close to $10 million for him. Once again, how is a player of Altidore’s standing getting paid that much?
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Because of former Red Bulls coach, Mike Petke getting fired earlier this week, the organization felt that a move for Altidore would not be a good one, considering how much it would cost. If the price was a lot lower, the move would almost have certainly taken place.
With New York out of the picture now, Altidore still has interest in returning to MLS, a league he once dominated as a young 18-year old kid. The now 25-year-old has found inconsistency to be the only consistent part of his game.
According to multiple reports, the Red Bulls made a similar offer for Altidore last year around this time. The deal did not happen due to his once again unreasonable asking price. Once again, it is one thing to demand a lot of money when you are a consistent and dominant goalscorer, but when you have two good years out of your entire career, that is asking a lot to make a club that gave you your start, produce that kind of cash.
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Since moving to Sunderland last season, Altidore has scored just once for the Black Cats. If Altidore does not opt for a move to MLS, reports also state clubs in France and Germany are also looking at the USMNT forward. The Portland Timbers and Toronto FC also look to be front-runners to snatch up Altidore.
The main focus for Altidore needs to be this, lower your asking price if you want any club to have you on their team. Money is good, but if you cannot produce consistently, do not be “that guy” and try to get more than you are worth.
Where do you think Altidore will finally land? Is another MLS team a better fit for him?