World Cup-winning ex-Man Utd target makes desperate transfer plea

Tom Weber

• 5 Dec 2023 03:58 CST
• 3 min read

Atlanta United star Thiago Almada is desperate for a move to Europe.

A World Cup winner at 21, Thiago Almada has always been destined for the top. Nicknamed the next Lionel Messi in his youth, the 22-year-old eventually got to feature alongside the Argentine megastar for his country and lined up against him in Major League Soccer.

It was a surprise when Almada decided to head to Atlanta United in 2022 given that he had high-profile European interest. The likes of Man Utd, Liverpool and Barcelona were all said to be interested in the then-Velez Sarsfield attacker, but he decided to head to Georgia for an MLS record fee of €14.6 million.

Now, after coming third in this year's MLS MVP voting thanks to 11 goals and 16 assists in 31 regular season outings, Almada is ready to head to Europe after all, and many believe that he will once again break a record. Speaking to ESPN Latin America, the Argentine issued a desperate come-and-get-me plea.

“I want to go to Europe now! Yes, now in this upcoming transfer window," Almada said, "I want to go now. I would like any top league. If I have to choose, it’s Premier League or La Liga, but I would like any top league."

Almada's best option

AC Milan and Ajax were reportedly interested in Almada in the summer, but links with clubs have been surprisingly quiet in recent times despite his impressive form in 2023. However, if we consult data experts SciSports, we can find out what his best destination would be.

SciSports' career advice tool tells us that AS Roma would be Almada's best fit by far, with a Club Fit rating of 84. Interestingly, his second-best option and the only Premier League side in his top five is Newcastle with a score of 79.

Newcastle, of course, are still responsible for the most expensive transfer in MLS history when they snapped up Miguel Almiron from Atlanta in 2019 for €24m. Almada is widely expected to break the record set by his Five Stripes predecessor.

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