Atlanta United’s Garth Lagerwey: Overview of how transfers work

Atlanta United President Garth Lagerwey, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Vice President Carlos Bocanegra pose on Friday at the introduction of the player. (Doug Roberson/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Credit: Doug Roberson/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Credit: Doug Roberson/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Atlanta United President Garth Lagerwey, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Vice President Carlos Bocanegra pose on Friday at the introduction of the player. (Doug Roberson/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Atlanta United President Garth Lagerwey will answer a question posed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution each week about the team, MLS or soccer in general.

This week’s question:

Q: Can you provide a 30,000-foot view of how a transfer in and out works in MLS?

A: Outgoing transfers are mostly like trades, but with the key difference is that they have to be agreed to by the players. We can’t just transfer a player abroad if they don’t want to go.

With incoming transfers, because we are working with different leagues that have different rules, the player compensation becomes monetary, hence the need to pay a transfer fee. Often, selling teams will have multiple bidders, so the process is somewhat like free agency, where part of what we are doing is recruiting the player and selling him on our club’s vision.

In pursuing transfers either way, we use analytics as our base point to determine if we should make a transfer and if so, at what price point. Then the scouts and player personnel folks come in and do their analysis on the players’ capabilities. Then the front office uses these inputs to assess whether an efficient deal can be negotiated.

Previous questions:

On improving team psychology

On temporary concussion substitutions

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Atlanta United’s 2023 MLS schedule

Feb. 25 Atlanta United 2, San Jose Earthquakes 1

March 4 Atlanta United 1, Toronto FC 1

March 11 Atlanta United 3, Charlotte FC 0

March 18 Atlanta United 5, Portland 1

March 25 Columbus 6, Atlanta United 1

April 1 vs. New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.

April 8 at New York City FC, 7:30 p.m.

April 15 at Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m.

April 23 vs. Chicago Fire FC, 4:30 p.m., FS1

April 29 at Nashville SC, 1:30 p.m., Fox

May 6 at Inter Miami CF, 7:30 p.m.

May 13 vs. Charlotte FC, 7:30 p.m.

May 17 vs. Colorado Rapids, 7:30 p.m.

May 20 at Chicago Fire FC, 8:30 p.m.

May 27 at Orlando City SC, 7:30 p.m.

May 31 vs. New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m., FS1

June 3 at Los Angeles FC, 10:30 p.m.

June 10 vs. D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.

June 21 vs. New York City FC, 7:30 p.m.

June 24 at New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.

July 2 vs. Philadelphia Union, 4 p.m., Fox

July 8 at CF Montreal, 7:30 p.m.

July 12 at New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m.

July 15 vs. Orlando City SC, 7:30 p.m., FS1

Aug. 20 at Seattle Sounders, 10:30 p.m.

Aug. 26 vs. Nashville SC, 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 30 vs. FC Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 2 at FC Dallas, 8:30 p.m.

Sept. 16 vs. Inter Miami CF, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 20 at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 23 vs. CF Montreal, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 4 at Philadelphia Union, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 7 vs. Columbus Crew, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 21 at FC Cincinnati, TBA