The New York Red Bulls’ pursuit of a central midfielder took a detour last week as the team appears to have lost out on a creative playmaker they had targeted.
Red Bulls head coach Hans Backe told MLSsoccer.com on Monday morning that the player he spoke of last week is no longer in the picture.
“We probably lost that one,” Backe conceded.
Last week Backe said there was a player the club was pursuing that would be “recognizable” in terms of name cache to the American soccer fan. Backe said that it was a European player who was currently out of contract and free to sign with the club, and that the team was actively engaged in contract discussions with the midfielder.
He wouldn't, however, not provide a name.
“He is a top-class player,” Backe told MLSSoccer.com last week. “A true No. 10.”
Backe had said last week that he was hopeful the unnamed player would be signed shortly.
“There is no one else at the moment,” Backe said about any further pursuits for a creative player.
In the past, Backe has said that he was looking for a distributor in the midfield and would consider a diamond shaped formation to utilize this type of player. The move would push Joel Lindpere, who currently plays centrally, to the left side of the diamond midfield.
One New York player told MLSSoccer.com that many on the team feel that Lindpere is best suited to play wide as part of a diamond midfield and not centrally, as he’s currently slotted into the lineup.
Kristian Dyer is a reporter for MLSSoccer.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs. He can be reached for questions, comments and crude remarks at KristianRDyer@yahoo.com and followed at twitter.com/kdyer1012.
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