This is another in a series in which AJC reporter Doug Roberson will begin to look at Atlanta United’s possible player signings and managerial candidates ahead of their 2017 inaugural season in MLS.
You can follow Roberson for news about Atlanta United on twitter @DougRobersonAJC, and bookmark the paper's Atlanta United page.
Here is the series so far:
Liverpool's Kolo Toure, whoh has since signed with Celtic
Manchester United goalkeeper Victor Valdes, who has since signed with Middlesbrough
David Moyes, who has since signed to manage Sunderland
Roberto Martinez, who has accepted the job managing Belgium's national team
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These are players (or managers) who I think may fit the criteria that Atlanta United president Darren Eales and technical director Carlos Bocanegra have laid out:
- They want a team strong up the middle;
- They want Designated Players who want to be in Atlanta and MLS and understand the responsibility of being the first players signed. It is incredibly difficult to build and maintain a culture in a company, it is more difficult to fix a poisoned culture;
Some may be players who probably fall into the level below the Designated Player level and into the Targeted Allocation Money group.
I’m not going to differentiate between those two groups in this series.
I again remind you this reflects my opinions only:
Continuing the series with:
Yaya Toure
The agent for the Manchester City midfielder says his player is ready to leave Pep Guardioloa’s team after getting omitted from the Champions League rosters earlier this week. One of the suitors is MLS, according to his agent.
Toure is a 33-year-old midfielder from the Ivory Coast who has played for Olympiacos, Monaco, Barcelona and City. He’s been capped 100 times by his national team.
Interestingly, I believe Toure’s first game with Manchester City came when they played Club America in the Georgia Dome in 2010.
Pros
If Eales and Bocanegra want a team that’s strong up the middle, there may not be two stronger central midfielders and forwards than Toure and Kenwyne Jones.
Toure has an impressive shooting range and is good with either foot.
Because he’s so big, it looks as if he’s not moving fast but he eats up the ground fairly quickly.
His experience playing in World Cups, Champions League and Premier League title fights would be invaluable in teaching Atlanta United’s players how to battle through an expansion season.
At 6-foot-2, he is big enough to handle the strength battles that occur in MLS.
Cons
He has a reputation, perhaps unfair, of not keeping his focus throughout games.
He also has a reputation, again perhaps unfair, of not playing defense.
At 33 years old, a box-to-box midfielder may not have too many miles left in his legs, particularly in the heat of the summer of the U.S.
Would he be interested in giving everything to an expansion team in MLS?
Toure, or perhaps his agent, has had an interesting relationship with Manchester City. Toure was once miffed that the club didn’t recognize his birthday. Would Eales want to bring on that potential headache?
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