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Otavio

Vancouver Whitecaps

Whitecaps Transfer Talk: Transfer rumors and updates out of Portugal

by Michael Martinez
written by Michael Martinez


Max Meyer via Football.London

Max Meyer via Football.London

It’s been about two weeks since the last transfer piece and there is a fair amount to unpack so let’s get right into it! 

There is an important update regarding Chiquinho. As far as we know, the transfer saga of the Portuguese midfielder has ended. At least the one regarding him coming to Vancouver. Multiple reports are saying that he is going to stay at Benfica for the remainder of the season. This would be a real bummer cause we all know he would light this league up and be a real game changer for the Whitecaps.

Another report is saying that he could be making his way to Turkey to play for Tranzabor. The rumor is he’d be on loan with the option to buy for $7 million. The sad part about that is that we apparently offered $3 million more to Benfica but they did not accept. This makes me think the player had no interest in coming to Vancouver and MLS. 

This next player might be a bit of a shot in the dark, but there are talks of Axel Schuster wanting to bring in Max Meyer. He is a former player from Axel’s Schalke days who just recently terminated his contract with English club Crystal Palace. Schuster is not one to use social media very often, and he does not follow many people. BUT, there is one player that he is clearly keeping tabs on. That is Max Meyer. He ticks all of the boxes that Axel said is a type of player we are looking for. 


Via WhoScored.com

Via WhoScored.com

Meyer is a typical #10 but with an eye for goal. In his Schalke days, he had 22 goals and 23 assists across nearly 200 matches. While that stat line is not too impressive, he was still heavily involved in the build up play and a focal point in the attack. His days with Crystal Palace were a bit weird. He only played 56 matches for them and recorded more yellow cards than assists or goals. The guy has all the talent in the world, but maybe England was not the right fit. Vancouver could be a good place to revitalize your career! Just saying.

The last rumor of the day is an exciting one at that. As of 1/23, according to Tom Bogert, the Whitecaps have made an official offer for Otavio of FC Porto in Liga NOS in Portugal. He is a 25 year old Brazilian attacking midfielder who has lit up the Portguese league. He, like Chiquinho, does not have amazing stats but his play does all the talking. He has 167 appearances over the last 5 years. He is also available for a free transfer at the end of the season. If he were to accept our offer, then he would join us at the halfway point of the season in July. 

Axel Schuster also had some words to say regarding Otavio, 

“I don’t want to confirm anything. We want to approach the best possible profile… it’s a good tactic not to speak so much.”

In typical Schuster fashion, keeping it very vague but dropping little hints for us too.

There is a slight problem with us trying to go after Otavio… There are talks that both AC Milan and Leicester City are also after him. While it is nice to get excited that a player of this caliber is on our list of potential targets, it also causes some concern. Both clubs and leagues for that matter, offer much more allure than MLS. The thing that could be a driving force for the Whitecaps is game time and stardom. He would easily be one of the best players in the league AND he could be the face of a club. These factors could help us get our man. We will have to wait and see as this sage continues to unfold.

This is another player that we are going to keeping a close eye on, so stay tuned for more future updates regarding this transfer and be sure to follow my Twitter, @Michael_James32 for any other Whitecaps news!!

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