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It has been a summer transfer window that few in Major League Soccer will forget. Never before has the league welcomed so many European stars at once, never before have so many of those world-class players had so much left in the tank, and never before has the league truly been a player in the global transfer market.
Mexico star Hector Herrera joining the Houston Dynamo FC from Atletico Madrid was headline news for ‘El Tri’ fans. Gareth Bale signing for LAFC from Real Madrid shook the global game. Toronto FC recruiting not one but two stars of Italy’s Euro 2020 triumph, in Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi, is poised to turn the table upside down.
And yet, perhaps the transfer that is most intriguing, perplexing and full of potential, is the LA Galaxy signing Ricard Puig from Barcelona. The 22-year-old midfielder was deemed to be the next big thing to come out of the club’s famed La Masia academy a mere three years ago, but that potential went unfulfilled, and he now moves to Los Angeles on a free transfer.
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To explain why things never came together for Puig in the Catalan capital, and how the Galaxy envision the midfielder fitting into Greg Vanney’s first XI, we asked ESPN correspondents Sam Marsden and Jeff Carlisle to break down this deal from every angle.
Why his Barca breakout never came
Puig’s Barcelona career promised big things, but ultimately ended in disappointment. It’s hard to gauge how much of that is his fault and how much is down to expectations deposited in him by supporters desperate for a new star to emerge from the club’s La Masia academy.
On the pitch, his youthful appearance and slender physique always made him stand out. He was 18 when he made his debut for Barca Atletic in the…
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Source : espn
