After less than a year in Columbus, Costa Rican international Giancarlo Gonzalez appears to be moving to different pastures, with the exposure he gained during Los Ticos’ run to the World Cup’s quarterfinals landing him a new home in Italy’s Serie A. Ahead of what league sources told the Columbus Dispatch is a $5 million deal, the 26-year-old central defender is on his way to Sicily for a physical, one that could end with a return to European soccer.
Gonzalez arrived in Columbus this winter after two seasons in Norway with Vålerenga. Before that, the 40-time international spent four years with Alajuelense, having come up through Costa Rican club’s youth system.
Columbus head coach Gregg Berhalter spoke about the potential deal today, saying Palermo’s offer was “very difficult to refuse.”
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“We’re creating a soccer environment that can improve the value of players.” Berhalter said in comments posted by the Crew’s “Insider.” “We were able to work with a foreign club to put Giancarlo in a situation that not many people get the chance to do, play in Serie A.”
According to Berhalter, the final deal is expected to be announced on Monday or Tuesday, provided Gonzalez passes his physical. While the funds will be available to spend immediately should Gonzalez be sold (after Vålerenga and MLS get their share), the club won’t necessarily pay for an immediately replacement.
“The allocation money that we get gives us the ability to work with a bigger pool of money,” Berhalter said, saying the sale will allow the team to “get to where we want to go faster.”
It’d be a big loss for the Crew, albeit one it appears the club is prepared to suffer. If Berhalter and the team’s goal is to groom players for more sales like these (or, to bargain buy in the offseason with the hope of flipping those talents), this will be a frequent occurrence.
Berhalter’s job is to meld that business into a plan that also finds success on the field, and thus far, the new boss has crafted a better product. But if the team’s playoff push is undermined by the Gonzalez sale, the price Columbus got for one of its better players will be seen in a different light. “At least we got that money” will become an empty refrain if the Crew end up missing the postseason.
