This is another in a series in which AJC reporter Doug Roberson will begin to look at Atlanta United’s possible player signings ahead of their 2017 inaugural season in MLS. Some potential signings, like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, may be considered fanciful, and rightfully so. Some may be so practical as to be obvious.
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A few months ago, Goal.com compiled a list of players whose contracts will expire at the end of this European soccer season, which is just about done.
That means those players are available on free transfers, a much cheaper way of filling key spots on a team, and a possibly great way for Atlanta United to start to fill out its roster.
However, buyer beware.
There are usually pretty good reasons why some players haven’t had contracts extended or renegotiated.
Other players, such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, simply wanted their contracts to run out.
These are players 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. Atlanta United’s front office personnel won’t discuss any players that aren’t under contract with them:
Michael Carrick, midfielder
Formerly of Manchester United
Carrick has done enough in his career to make almost 500 appearances for his clubs, including West Ham, Tottenham, Manchester United, and 30 appearances for England.
He was recently reportedly offered a new contract to stay with Manchester United.
He is a bit of an enigma, as you will see below.
Pros: Reads the game well and is very good at breaking up attacks from his holding midfielder role. Underrated as a long passer.
He can also play in central defense, something he did a few times with Manchester United.
He was vice captain for the team, a sign that he is a strong and positive presence in the locker room, which is something Atlanta United would value.
Cons: The 34-year-old Carrick is a polarizing figure because he has never seemingly done anything well enough to satisfy fans (27 goals in 17 years as a pro), but coaches seemed to love him based upon his number of appearances.
May have the same troubles that Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard are experiencing in MLS with the non-stop action up and down the field, a pace that doesn’t allow offenses to take advantage of their talents.
The running is something that New York City FC midfielder Andrea Pirlo recently observed and didn’t seem to particularly care for.
Final verdict: While he would bring value, it's hard to imagine that he would be the impact signing that Atlanta United is hoping to make because he doesn't bring the name recognition or gaudy stats of other players.
Plus, I’m not sure his skill set would translate well to MLS.
