It has been a frustrating offseason for Philadelphia Union fans. They have had to sit idly while just about every other team in Major League Soccer made signings that could significantly improve their teams, while the Union have been extremely quiet. Most of the moves made by the team have been of the outgoing variety, including the trade of fan favorite and the last Union original Amobi Okugo. Okugo was traded to expansion club Orlando City just before the Expansion Draft in December. Another move was to loan goalkeeper, and former starter, Zac MacMath to Colorado for the 2015 season. While this move was made to alleviate some of the goalkeeping problems-the Union had three starting quality goalkeepers on the roster after the post-World Cup arrival of Algerian Rais M’Bolhi, along with Jamaican International Andre Blake-it was still greeted with frustration by fans who feel that MacMath should be the starter.

The only incoming players were the purchase of Maurice Edu from Stoke City after his loan expired, and forward C.J. Sapong was acquired from Sporting Kansas City. It is bad enough for Union fans to see other teams improving and spending money while knowing that your club has admitted they don’t have the money to spend with clubs such as Toronto, Seattle and Los Angeles. But hearing your head coach basically say “yeah, we gotta be creative with what we do because we have no money to spend” is what has Union fans on edge. Manager Jim Curtin, who had the interim tag removed from his title in the offseason, has said several times that they will bring in more players. Fans won’t believe it until it happens.

So who might the Union be targeting? Well, early in the offseason they were linked to Danish defensive midfielder William Kvist. Kvist had been sitting on the bench for Wigan Athletic in the English Championship and had ties to Union consultant Rene Meulensteen, who was Fulham’s manager when he brought Kvist to Craven Cottage. However, Wigan is currently in survival mode as they fight off relegation from the Championship and manager Malky Mackay has decided to play the veterans that he trusts and Kvist is finally getting playing time. Mackay also said Kvist would not be leaving this season.

While Edu has returned, his position is still undetermined. Curtin has said he prefers him at center back, which opens a spot at defensive midfield that Okugo, Edu and Brian Carroll shared last season. Carroll is also back for the Union but will likely not see much playing time. Curtin said they wanted to bring a center back or defensive midfielder, a striker and possibly a left back. With Kvist now unavailable the rumor mill has the Union turning to Poland national teamer Cezary Wilk, also a defensive midfielder currently with Deportivo La Coruna. Wilk has not seen game action recently and has been out of the game roster due to “coach’s decision” the last few matches. He is reportedly available and looking for a way out of Deportivo. That would solve the defensive midfield problem and would ensure that Edu plays center back. What about the striker? Well, let’s travel back to Wigan. Reports surfaced over the weekend that French forward Andy Delort was available and that Wigan allowed him to begin talks with the Union. The 23-year-old has only made 11 appearances for the Latics and does not figure into Mackay’s plans. There was talk of other Championship clubs and former club Tours being interested but the problem is the FIFA rule preventing players from playing for three different teams in leagues that operate within the same transfer window.

This would rule out Delort staying in England with another club, but the MLS transfer window is different so he would be able to sign with Philly. He began this season with Tours in the French Ligue 2 and then moved to Wigan. Tours would like him back but he may be too expensive for them. Delort is apparently looking for a six-month loan and then is hoping to see what happens in the summer. This is problematic for the Union because a short loan for the first half of the season really does nothing to help the team when the most important games are in September and October as they push for the playoffs. Aditionally, MLS has frowned upon those arrangements in the past and prefers season-long loans with an option to buy after the season. It is unknown if Delort would accept this or not.

The Union also have to deal with more Carlos Valdes drama. The Colombian center back has reportedly signed for Uruguayan club Nacional, but nothing has been formally announced. His status is possibly holding up some of these moves as they may need the funds from his sale to fund the other moves. It is also unclear if his move would be a loan or if he would be sold. Many Union fans, tired of the annual drama, would prefer the latter. So there you have, the latest and greatest in the Philadelphia Union offseason.