GM, Free Agents. This is The Free Transfer. We decipher the transfer market news thorugh memes.

Some international football to fill the void:

• Spain win the UEFA Nations League over Croatia 🇪🇸 🏆️ 

• USA win the CONCACAF Nations League over Canada 🇺🇸 🏆️ 

SPAIN WIN THE UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE FINAL OVER CROATIA 🇪🇸 🏆️ 

In a match of few chances, Spain & Croatia pushed each other to extra time, and then to penalties. Spain won 5-4 on penalties to win the UEFA Nations League trophy.

How does each team look moving forward?

Spain 🇪🇸 

Positives ➕ 

Under 25 players

Spain are still in the process of turning over their older generation, and bringing in the new one.

• Busquets, Alba, Pique, Navas, Carvajal, etc. are remnants of the previous generation, but are being phased out for younger ones.

Spain’s U25 core of Pedri, Gavi, Dani Olmo, Yeremi Pino, Nico Williams, Martin Zubimendi, Fran Garcia, Ferran Torres, etc. are building on the core of players aged 26-30 really well.

• Think— Laporte, Le Normand, Fabian Ruiz, Rodri, etc.

If Spain continue to slowly integrate new blood into the team, they should have a really nice by the 2024 Euros, let alone the 2026 World Cup.

Negatives ➖ 

Striker

Spain currently have Alvaro Morata, who is a striker known for his Spanish-type link-up play, but has always been criticized for his poor finishing record.

Currently, they don’t have any up-and-coming #9 to get excited about.

Spain can definitely play with a false 9, which may suit their possession style. However, having a lethal finisher at striker in KO tournaments is always a huge advantage.

How is it that such a talented footballing nation can never find a reliable #9?

Croatia 🇭🇷 

Positives ➕ 

Ready-made for a Euro 2024 run

This team is full of seasoned veterans that are ready to make another cup run in the Euro 2024.

• Modric looks close to signing a one-year extension with Real Madrid

• Kovacic looks close to signing for Manchester City

• Brozovic is Inter Milan’s starting #6

On top of that— Perisic & Juranovic are playing for top-flight teams where they will be likely get minutes in the run-up to the Euro 2024.

Add Croatia’s U25 talent to that— Borna Sosa, Josep Stanisic, Josip Sutalo, Nikola Vlasic, Lovro Majer, & Petar Musa— and they still look very threatening.

Negatives ➖ 

Time is catching up with Croatia

Croatia’s top players are aging.

After the Euro 2024:

• Luka Modric will be 39 years old.

• Mateo Kovacic will be 30 years old.

• Marcelo Brozovic will be 32 years old.

• Ivan Perisic will be 35 years old.

These are players who have been the staples to Croatia’s recent World Cup and Euro runs. They’ve already lost Mario Mandzukic, Ivan Rakitic, Sime Vrsaljko, Dejan Lovren, Danijel Subasic, and more to retirement from their 2018 World Cup team.

Croatia will need their next generation to step up from 2024-2026 if they are to be competitive in the 2026 World Cup & beyond.

USA WIN THE CONCACAF NATIONS LEAGUE FINAL OVER CANADA 🇺🇸 🏆️ 

After a promising, yet disappointing World Cup from a youthful USA team, they have got back to their winning ways after beating Canada in the CONCACAF Nations League Final last night 2-0.

USA going forward ⏩️ 

Positives ➕ 

Folarin Balogun, Chris Richards, & co. have arrived

Folarin Balogun arrived with a bang last night. In his second-ever match for the USA, he scored a tidy goal to make it 2-0 for the Americans.

The USA have been screaming out for a #9 since Clint Dempsey retired after the 2014 World Cup. It seems like the Arsenal academy product just might be that guy. Check out why he will be such a great fit in our piece on him here.

Chris Richards has been a name that American fans have been excited about for many years. He was in Bayern Munich’s youth system, excelled on loan to Hoffenheim last year, & then was purchased by Crystal Palace last summer. His first year at Palace was riddled with injuries, and he was stuck behind Marc Guehi & Joachim Andersen in the pecking order at centerback.

With Guehi’s sale looking plausible for Crystal Palace, Chris Richards could soon become a starting PL centerback. It’s a huge opportunity to develop his game and level up this American side with his quality.

He can add a new dimension to the Americans’ game with his progressive passing & ball-carrying. It’s no secret that the US were hampered by players like Walker Zimmerman during the World Cup, who were not up-to-par technically compared to the rest of the team.

Other fresh faces like Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach, right back), Ricardo Pepi (transferring to PSV Eindhoven this summer, striker), & Taylor Booth (Utrecht, winger) have been welcomed additions in the squad. Most fans will be happy to shed MLS veterans for these young, European-based talents.

Negatives ➖ 

Gregg Berhalter’s odd return

After a huge, public fallout with Gio Reyna during the World Cup, reports of blackmail by Reyna’s parents, & allegations of domestic abuse (all of this just 6 months ago), Gregg Berhalter has been re-appointed by the US Soccer Federation.

He has a long way to go in rebuilding his relationship with Gio Reyna (debatably the USA’s most talented player), as he publicly admitted this week:

Berhalter’s return casts an odd shadow over the team, which will only go away with time & good results. One of the biggest reasons he was re-hired was due to glowing reviews from the players.

Wins like these can put the odd World Cup drama behind the USA’s national team. It will be interesting to see how they fare in the 2024 Copa America!

That’s all for today folks. Hoping for some big transfer movement in the coming days, now that the international break has ended!

Cheers,

—The Gaffer