Photo by David Bernal/ISIphotos.com
Michael Bradley is officially out of team limbo.
According to Bradley's agent, Ron Waxman, the 24-year-old U.S. international midfielder has completed his move from Borussia Monchengladbach to Chievo Verona, ending a frustrating spell on the sidelines and beginning a new chapter in his club career. Terms of the transfer were not disclosed.
Bradley had fallen out of favor at Monchengladbach last season, during which he was sent on loan to Aston Villa. Upon his return, manager Lucien Favre made it clear that he was not in the team's plans going forward, further necessitating a transfer despite him having one more year on his contract with the Bundesliga club.
What do you think of this development? How do you think Bradley will fare in Serie A?
Share your thoughts below.
Not particularly excited by this move.
Will be interesting to see an American in Serie A.
Hopefully he does well, and gets back on track.
We could really use him going into ’14 WCQ.
He should break into Chievo Verona almost immediately. I’m not sure who is in front of him in midfield depth charts, but they are a mid-table club. Now if only the strike will end…
At least he’s at a club that wants him. People put too much emphasis on his “style” and Serie A’s “style”… He’s a good player, and while he’s not guaranteed to be a success, he’s as likely to do well as not, so let’s hope he does well.
Let’s get some news on Dempsey, if there is any. Is he staying? Going? Going where? Is this Arsenal business a load of crap?
Why? He’ll get lots of playing time at Chievo and continue to develop his skill and especially from a technical & tactical perspective in Serie A. Unlike the EPL, he will continue to develop as a player and get better.
Maybe you don’t like Serie A but if you want to learn how to play the game, Serie A is one of the few leagues on the planet where you will continue to grow as a player.
Hmmm. Another Yank on a team in a likely relegation battle, or at the most mid-table mediocrity. Yay.
Another fan snarking it up over an American likely getting to play regularly in one of the world’s top leagues. Yay.
Do we have players good enough to be in top-table clubs?
I would say we (realistically) have like 2 or 3 guys that could be in a better situation than the one you just described. Mid-table is where Dempsey has been when he hasn’t been saving HIS club from relegation, and the guy is pretty good.
I understand you made no correlation bt the player’s ability and the team’s situation, but I think at this point I’d rather see a player playing a lot on a team that is having a rougher time vs. seeing him rot on the bench of a team that is comfy in the table.
I just hope he gets some playing time and I think it is good to have an American in Serie A even if it is a declining league.
The big buzz of the day is Dempsey to Arsenal.
Yes, let’s hear more about that.
I don’t deny the snark. But it’s simply because I think MB is better than Chievo Verona, just like I thought he was better than BMGB. Feels like a lateral move, at best.
Not good at all. Most europeans have prejudices about American players and the Italians take the cake in that dept.
Anything’s better than not dressing, whether it’s at Barca or Chivas USA.
I guess he’ll have to let his play show them the error of their ways.
I have to believe that this is the best combination of:
- playing time
- salary
- competition level
I would love to know more on the ins-and-outs of the decision making that goes on when references like having teams from 5-6 countries and top leagues are pursuing you.
If the club is buying him, it’s because they expect him to play a major role within the team. Prejudice doesn’t and won’t enter into it.
I’ve been noticing your posts in other threads today — they’re all extremely smug and negative. Do you have anything positive or insightful to offer in addition to preemptively shooting things down?
I think it’s a great move. In the EPL, he was just improving skills he already knew, but in Italy, he’ll be adding something new to his game. His positioning and passing consistency should improve. He’s already got a very wide passing range – it’s all about hitting the mark. He’s sort of in the beginning of his prime, but he can definitely still grow.
Lets say both teams he had/will have playing time… Is this a lateral, upward, or downward move?
A lateral move to a club where he’ll get playing time. How was he going to end up at a bigger club after not playing for Villa and Gladbach saying he wasn’t wanted? That’s not how a player moves to a bigger club.
dempsey to arsenal???? 10mm quid
have to agree re. the Italians and their preconceptions…good call. MB needs to stick that up their collective butts
do it Michael
Laura Williamson of the Daily Mail has confirmed no bids have been made by Sevilla or Arsenal….
Dempsey is going to stay and have career year at Fulham if they can just get a damn striker to back up Bobby Zamora…
Demps would good at Arsenal and good for Arsenal. They need a player with toughness, grit and skill…and someone who actually will shoot the fecking ball! He fits the bill.
Unfortunately, Wenger is married to the 4-5-1. In a 4-4-2, I think Demps would be fantastic, but he doesn’t really fit into Wenger’s system.
First of all, any move where a player gets time on the pitch in a top league is a good move.
Second, I think this will help him build tactical awareness and learn to read the game a bit better than he has, which can only increase his versatility for the Nats.
As far as the ‘mid-table’ thing goes. I’d rather have a player mid-table and playing than top of the table and never seeing the pitch. They invested in him, so that indicates he’s wanted. It’s a good thing.
Fair enough, and I agree it’s lateral in terms of clubs, but it’s positive for the player who was basically in a holding pattern without a move of some kind. At least now he can get much-needed minutes and still try to get himself in a position to move to a bigger club at some point. Remember he has age firmly on his side, so it’s not like this was the make-or-break moment for his club career.
chievo is owned by a cake company . . . get it.
Man, I can remember 10 yrs ago, when we would be happy to see a yank in the Serie A. Too many people b*tch, that we don’t have a yank at Real Madrid. It will take time, a very long time. I’m happy for the kid, I hope he plays, every game.
Why so thin skinned? He makes a valid
As far as the technical quality of play and stylistic aspect of the soccer football in Italy – it is a great opportunity for Michael to refine his game, polish his individual skills, and mature. Here’s to lots of playing time, great success, and more USMNT call-ups for the Bradley “fightin’ vehicle” while amongst the maccarone.
If he plays, it’s a great move. I thought Villa was a good fit, but boy was I wrong about that. He will get more time on the ball to see the field in Italy, hopefully that will make a difference for him. I think he struggled with the quick decision making needed for PL midfielders.
You are right but the key is if he gets playing time. The Italians tactical approach to the game will no doubt be good for him, but I’m very skeptical he’ll get the playing time we want him to have.
I dont know if many know Serie A here very well. I consider this a great move for Bradley. He is going to be able to take the lead role at central midfield and connect the field with some really good veterans at defence and forward. Sardo and Cesar at defence and Pellisier at forward. You should see him pair up with Hatemaj very well. I support Juve so i have seen Chievo recently and they are a hard scrappy team. Their captain Pellisier is a very quality player. Good luck MB!!!
Great, great move.
1) MB’s development has stagnated a bit. Serie A should help him technically and tactically.
2) It will be great to finally be able to watch an American in Serie A. We’ve never had a successful player there.
I like the move for several reasons. Klinsi tried MB as an attacking mid in the last friendly and it was disastrous. For future reference, let’s keep MB as a CDM. However if we’re going to keep him as a CDM, then he needs reps with his club (just like everyone else on the team) to justify a spot above Edu, Beckerman, Shea, etc. This move to Chievo gives him reps. He needs reps.
Oddly enough, this team is most stacked in the midfield, but lack any depth whatsoever. Bradley will have to beat out players who are starting for Peru, Finland, and the Czech Republic.
there are few americans on teams with little fear of relegation. Bolton was midtable last season but very possible of being relegated. Aston Villa nearly did get relegated despite typically being a just above mid table type team. Fulham has flirted with relegation for years. I believe Everton even had a scare for part of the season last year.
Quite frankly most of our players arent up to par to be on teams with little to no fear of relegation and still earn consistent PT. And the ones who are typically will have to fight and prove head over shoulders as their competition will be very difficult.
I agree it is a good move. The situation with Borussia has reached an impasse and he needed to move quickly since he was no longer in the club’s plans and would get no playing time. One could do a lot worse than Serie A. If Bradley does well, he’ll move to a bigger club/stronger league.
huh? Deuce is one of the most versatile players in the Prem. That’s part of his value. He can play anywhere, in any system.
“When you’re sat in row zed
And the ball hits your head
THAT’S ZAMORA…”
And for all the people clamoring for Yanks to play at bigger clubs, consider that MLS has repeatedly turned down Tim Ream to Arsenal, that usually these ascensions take time, and that at least Michael Bradley isn’t playing in Scotland.
Would anybody here rather have Michael Bradley riding the pine in Germany, or playing in Italy? Good move, anything beats not seeing minutes on the field. Let’s just hope he can break into the starting 11 sooner than later. There are a lot of positives for Americans abroad this season.
I just hope he doesn’t learn the diving and antics that make it hard to watch Serie A and Italy games.
Yea. When Heerenveen experimented with Bradley as an advanced midfielder, it was a complete disaster.
i was just about to comment on that. a lot of people think he’ll start right away, and hopefully he will, but their midfield is pretty good. Luca Rigoni (26), Rinaldo Cruzado (26, Peruvian international), Kamil Vacek (24, Czech international), and Përparim Hetemaj (24, Finish international). He will have to compete with all of them.
something has got to be said about playing on relegation contenders, which a lot Americans do..yes most importantly its quality playing time vs. very good opponents. but the fact that its constant defensive football with little room for creative development has got to play into the way that the US team’s style of play has developed. hell maybe it has helped us as we usually go up against stronger national teams too..
I just want Michael to be happy.
He’ll get more than he would have by staying at BMG, where the manager had already moved on and bought his replacement.
It just feeds into the arguement, is it better for a player to go to a bigger club and try and win a spot? Or go to an equal or lesser club in another league and be a starter. More and more it seems like lateral moves with guarenteed playing time really can boost a player’s confidence though. Look at how Jozy has been at AZ compared to Jozy at Villareal/Hull City/etc.
For a player who hasn’t played 1st team club football since Janurary? A lateral move with pretty guarenteed playing time is exactly what he needs.
I think its more his speed of thought. Yea he makes good passes of all range, its just he needs to make that pass quicker. But i do agree with you on all other levels
I think you meant La Liga.
Glad the Jersey Shore cast didn’t completely kill the chances of a Garden State native being signed by an Italian club!! Good luck MB!
I think you meant any league in the world. Diving is prevelent in all leagues, MLS included.
That said I think that Garber has done a good job instructing the refs to be less lenient with the attacking players when calling fouls.
As a DC united fan I have seen this first hand. Charlie likes to draw fouls and would earn free kicks on just minor contact by going to the ground.
In the past five weeks either something has changed (possibly nothing has changed just different refs) because Charlie has continued to try and draw fouls on minor contact and he has not drawn any of them.
How long is the contract for? Just through this next year like his BMG deal or is it for a longer period than that?
Congrats to Michael. It will be a new experience for him and he should continue to grow. At only 24, he has several prime years ahead of him. I hope they ask him to be more involved in getting forward rather than the more or less 100% destroyer role he played for ‘gladbach. He showed in Holland and for the USMNT that he can score goals if he is put in a role that allows it. (His skills running at defenders with the ball could use some work though.)
even serious followers of the usmnt will have a hard time seeing the games.
Vacek has gotten all of one international cap. He’s good, not great. Bradley’s probably not a lot worse or better than him. Can’t imagine the Finnish kid is better than either one of them, although I could be wrong, but Finland’s not exactly brimming with lots of soccer talent.
Agreed 100% with your statement regarding the quandry we’ve seen USNT players in (Gooch at AC MIlan, Jozy at Villareal, Adu at Benfiica – although he seemed to do well there other than not playing).
I say go mid-table and get playing time.
I’m concerned of this as well. There’s probably no single country where American footballers have the least respect.
I think MB is a good player, but I do worry that he won’t get PT on this midlevel Serie A team.
Yes, there’s a lack of consistent, quick thinking on MB’s part. He’s showed flashes of midfield brilliance, and equally mediocre play as well. Hell, we’ve all seen him play so much, lol, which is a little ridiculous. The best midfielder we have, and the one to emulate in MB’s case, is Stuart Holden.
I want to be optimistic for MB here. . . he’s a baller when he’s on, and he has the passion. HE NEEDS TO GET BETTER.
It’s an upward move, IMO, because it represents a different style of play, and will force MB to adapt, and thus learn, new techniques and modes of thinking.
Trite but true. People can say that Serie A is declining: Bahumbug! They just lost the highest paid player in the world (Eto, NOW is the highest paid and such a lethal striker). They have won Champions a couple of times in the last 5 years. .. . and c’mon, even though I don’t like their football culture, they are passionate about the game.
I found a few stories in Italian and used online translation tools. Several of them say it is a two-year contract with the club having an option for a third year.
link to larena.it
This article says the transfer fee was 2 million euros. The online translation makes it appear as if Bradley is paying the fee himself, which, I assume, comes from a bad online translation. Anyone out there read Italian? Anyway, here is the link to the 2 million citiation.
link to newnotizie.it
I think Italy would be a great place to play soccer. I do no not understand all the snide comments here about Italian soccer. A history of great players and great teams in a nation that worships the game. The Italian national team has never lost to the mighty Germans in a World Cup knock-out match. If you want to see some high drama, go to U-tube and search “Germany Italy WC2006,” and you will see the epic semi-final match by the Klinsmann coached German team against Italy in front of 80,000 screaming fans in Dortmund. One of the videos shows Italy’s winning goal in the 119th minute–incredible stuff (if you can stand the awful play-by-play from the announcers). My dream is to see the USA one day beat Germany in a World Cup knock-out round game.
With all due respect, Dennis, I think the the last match against Mexico showed quite clearly that MB is better suited for a defensive role than an offensive role. Not to say that he is not capable of the occasional attacking foray, but that should not be his primary role. We have better offensive midfielders than MB and, thankfully, we now have a coach that will utilize them.
I think it has to be stated that MB simply wasn’t able leave a mark in Bundesliga. He got decent playing time in the beginning, but had some distrastrous defensive plays. Fleeing a club in distress in winter was also rather not well taken. All the best for him in Verona but I am not too optimistic…