Soccer Buzz

Last week, there were several stories about newly promoted Premiership side Derby County looking to buy American striker Eddie Johnson from the Kansas City Wizards. However, Derby announced that the deal fell through, and that they would be looking elsewhere for a forward. Some thought these stories were unfounded rumors, and many believed that the league’s transfer fee demands were too high.

I’ve learned from reliable sources that the deal was actually set as the league and the Wizards’ owners agreed to sell him for around £2.5-£3 million. However, Johnson himself nixed the deal.

It bears repeating to critics of the league that feel that the players are constantly held hostage by clubs and the league office; Eddie Johnson put the kibosh on this one, not the league.

Why would Johnson not approve a move abroad? First, he was not going to receive the standard cut from the transfer fee that players normally receive. The player normally gets 10% of the transfer fee, but Johnson would have received something substantially less.

Also, Johnson wants to finish the season with Kansas City and then re-evaluate his status. He feels that he is on the uptick as he is having a fantastic season with the Wizards thus far, and he feels that he could have even better opportunities abroad should he continue to keep banging goals.

If I can speculate further, Johnson also appears to be enjoying himself in Kansas City at this season. He has a good relationship with his teammates, and above all, he seems to love playing for new manager Curt Onalfo as his tactics and personality are perfectly suited for a player like Johnson.

My only question is why the league and the club have been reluctant to publicize this. It seems to me that the league would want let people know that the league’s top scorer (and an American international) wanted to stay with the league rather than make a move to the Premiership. I think this would be great propaganda against the detractors of the league, especially with millions of people who have just started paying attention to the league because of Beckham. Perhaps playing in MLS is not as horrid as some people would like to believe.

From the Wizards’ perspective, I can’t believe they aren’t making a big deal of this. After a poor season on and off the field last season, Johnson has won over the fans at Arrowhead this year, and there’s no better way to cement one’s status as a fan favorite than rejecting a big move like this. With owners OnGoal LLC trying to rebuild the team’s fanbase after the previous owners, Hunt Sports Group, seemed content to let the club wither on the vine, this story seems to be great (and cheap) advertising and marketing for the club.