The first major domino has fallen in the Chicago Fire’s offseason.
On Monday morning, it was announced that the club had sold young phenom Jhon Durán to Aston Villa for around $20 million.
Chicago had gone into the winter with plans to keep the Colombian, and they kept up that stance early on in the window. However, the bids kept getting higher and higher, and in the end they were pretty much forced to sell him. Villa made them an offer they simply couldn’t refuse.
Some will be sad to see Durán go, but this is absolutely the right decision for the Fire. It’s unlikely they’d ever get a bid like this again, even if he stayed and had another strong season. They flipped him for about $18 million since they only bought him for $2 million back in January of 2021, which is a ton for an MLS side.
It also proves that they are now a club that can be trusted with youngsters. Back in the day this wasn’t the case, as they wasted the careers of homegrown after homegrown after homegrown. They’ve turned a corner, though, and the sales of Przemysław Frankowski, Gabriel Slonina, and Durán shows that they are able to develop young talents. That should only lead to more phenoms joining the club in the future.
Chicago should be celebrated for how well this all went down, but they cannot rest on their laurels. This is only the first step in their roster reshuffling, and the pressure is now absolutely on the club to capitalize on Durán’s departure.
How do they do that?
Sign a big, big, big name replacement
The Fire cannot mess this up.
Even before Durán was sold, head coach Ezra Hendrickson talked about how Chicago was in the market for a proven goalscorer up top. It was a statement that made sense, as the team were the 2nd-worst offense in the league the previous season. Some wondered how this potential Designated Player would fit in alongside Durán, but now the situation is more clear.
This new DP is going to be the guy going forward.
That’s why the Fire simply has to bring in a big name here. Other than Xherdan Shaqiri, the club has kind of avoided the more marquee players in the transfer market, instead trying to find hidden gems and bargains. That’s not worked, though, and it has led to the team’s struggles in recent seasons.
They need to sign someone who is too big to fail. Someone like Zlatan Ibrahimović, or Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, or Carlos Vela. Someone who has experience playing with Europe’s elite. Someone who will make everyone else better.
Someone who will make an impact off the pitch as well. Chicago kind of saw how a big name signing can help change things when they brought in Xherdan Shaqiri. There was so much hype surrounding the city and the club in the blink of an eye. People were paying more attention to them, and that led to jerseys being sold, attendance going up, and the general brand awareness of the club increasing as well.
The Fire certainly has the money. They’ve made about $30 million just by selling the aforementioned Slonina and Durán, and they already had a rich owner before then. They’re pretty much working with a blank check, which should mean that anyone who wants to join MLS is a possibility.
Long story short, the club cannot bring in someone that the fanbase will have to look up on Google.
Anyone have Oliver Giroud’s phone number?
Shipping Przybyłko
Alright, so that magical mystery DP signing will obviously be the starter. The next step is then making sure he’s got a solid backup.
That isn’t Kacper Przybyłko.
Przybyłko’s story is well known by now. Brought in last season from the Philadelphia Union, he was supposed to be the man leading the line for Chicago. That never worked out, though. He started the season on the wrong foot, and despite a few promising moments, he was pretty woeful the entire campaign. By the end he had lost his spot to Durán.
The issue with Przybyłko is that he doesn’t fit the Fire’s system. When he was at his best in Philadelphia, he was utilized in a front two. He had a strike partner playing alongside him, which allowed him to play off of someone and be more of a support option. The focus wasn’t always on him, and he made the most of that by finding space in the final third.
Chicago only has one forward up top, though, which puts much more of an emphasis on whoever is starting at striker. When that was Przybyłko, he struggled. He couldn’t find the balance between dropping deep to help in possession and hanging around the penalty area to grab goals himself. He looked lost, and it affected his confidence. Then, when the chances did come his way, he wasted them.
If the Fire moves on from him, they’ll obviously lose a bit of money compared to what they spent on him. However, it won’t be the greatest loss, and there still should be a few teams in the league who’d be interested in signing the Polish forward.
There’s always a chance that Przybyłko could turn things around next season, but there’s little reason to believe that would happen considering what everyone saw last time out. The fanbase has turned on him, and a trade away is probably the best case scenario for all involved.
An MLS vet
So, Chicago selling Przybyłko means that they’ll have to replace him too. While the aforementioned starter should be a big name from abroad, the backup should be someone within MLS.
As mentioned earlier, sporting director Georg Heitz loves to try and find a bargain in Europe. It’s what brought him success at FC Basel, and it’s what he knows. However, it’s not really worked out. The most telling example of this was Chinoso Offor, who showed promise, but eventually burned out.
He’s not been too active within MLS, and that needs to change. Clever moves within the league are what build contenders, and the Fire know all about that. Dax McCarty is a more recent example, as his arrival set the stage for a stellar 2017 campaign.
It is ironic saying this since the Przybyłko trade was one of these types of moves. One bad apple doesn’t spoil the bunch, of course, so Chicago just needs to go back to the drawing board and see who might be available.
Someone who’s definitely available is Ola Kamara. The former Norwegian international is a bit of an MLS journeyman, featuring for the Los Angeles Galaxy, the Columbus Crew, and D.C. United. He’s scored in bunches for every one of those teams, and he’d almost certainly do the same if he came to the Fire. He has 28 goals in his last two seasons for crying out loud, and those came with a pretty lousy United side.
Whether it’s Ola Kamara or someone else, bringing in a forward who knows the league would be vital. They can fill in whenever squad rotation is needed, and they can even help the aforementioned DP acclimate to playing in MLS. It’s the smartest move.
(Please just sign Ola Kamara I’m almost begging you at this stage)
New blood
Jhon Durán wasn’t a Designated Player, of course, but he did have an important tag when it came to his spot on the roster.
Durán came to the Fire as part of the U22 initiative, which allows clubs to sign three players under the age of 22 to bigger contracts that don’t completely count against the salary cap. It was the same way Chicago brought in Federico Navarro.
With the Colombian now gone, the Fire has another slot open, and they should try to fill it as soon as they can.
The position doesn’t really matter, as the current roster has a bit of depth everywhere. Some places could use a new signing more than others, like at fullback, but someone else could always be brought in for that.
The club should instead try to find the best player available. This is where Heitz can go wild, as he’ll have the freedom to scout whatever part of the world he thinks will land him a gem.
This new signing won’t have to worry about much pressure early on. Durán started this season as a backup, which allowed him to grow and develop before he ended up securing the starting gig. Whoever comes in to replace him should be given the same opportunity.
At this point I’d throw a name out there, but I’ve really got no clue. Chicago can go after almost anyone, which is what makes this opening so exciting. Hopefully whoever they get ends up doing just as well as Durán.