WITH THE EUROPEAN season largely complete, the consensus opinion is that it was a very difficult season for most, but not all, American players. What this has done is set up what looks to be an extremely busy transfer window for many U.S. players.

There are a few players who are transferring on the heels of a positive season which should see them move up the ranks. Ricardo Pepi, Haji Wright, Auston Trusty, Bryan Reynolds, Tanner Tessmann, and Folarin Balogun are the ones who look certain to move up the chain. But for many, it was a season that has left them looking to move to get out of bad situations.

Here is a look at who could be on the move and why – along with some educated guesses as to where.

 
Very likely to move

Folarin Balogun: The New York-born forward exploded for 21 goals in Ligue 1 from Stade de Reims on loan from Arsenal. After this season, Arsenal will probably try to sell the 21 year old forward for a lot of money and the only clubs who can afford him will be big-money Champions League teams or Premier League teams. There will be no shortage of demand for him. At the very least, he returns to Arsenal to compete for a role there. 

Christian Pulisic: The USMNT winger told the American media this week that he’s still a Chelsea player and he’s planning on going back. But reading between the lines, his tough season is likely going to force a change. He’s being linked to big clubs in England and throughout Europe. It seems as if this one will heat up later in the month.

Tyler Adams: While it wasn’t a great season for the USMNT captain, Leeds completely crumbled when he went down with an injury in March. He should likely get a move within England to stay in the Premier League. He’s shown enough quality although injuries are a bit of a concern.

Sergino Dest: The right back fell completely out of favor shortly after arriving at AC Milan on loan from Barcelona. He hasn’t played club soccer since January and managed just 614 minutes across all competitions this season. He technically returns now to Barca but he’ll be unloaded at some point. But he’s still just 22 and has played Champions League minutes with Ajax, Barca, and AC Milan. He’ll have plenty of interest from good teams inside the Big Five leagues but he needs to get it right. He can’t have another lost season.

Weston McKennie: He was loaned from Juventus to Leeds and it just didn’t work out as it ended in relegation. There is a slight chance he could attempt another stint with Juventus, but the likelihood is that he will land with another Premier League team.

Ricardo Pepi: The U.S. center forward is one of the few on this list who is coming off a great season. Despite Groningen’s relegation, Pepi still scored 12 goals without great service. His loan from Augsburg is over but he is unlikely to stay there. Most sources have put him further up the Eredivisie chain to PSV or Feyenoord. That makes sense. If he can score 12 with Groningen, he can probably push towards 20 goals on a good team. The question, however, is price. Augsburg paid $20 million for Pepi and they won’t sell him for cheap and Eredivisie teams are not rich. It’ll take a big concession in a sell-on percentage from a buying club to likely seal the deal.

Brendan Aaronson: The USMNT attacker played regularly for Leeds United but scored just one goal in a relegated season. As the Athletic reported, he has a relegation release clause in his contract and that’s likely to be triggered. But predicting a landing spot for the 22 year old is tough. It’s easy to see him finding more comfort on the continent of Europe, but it comes down to the price.

Haji Wright: The U.S. international forward has had a terrific run in Turkey. Wright has scored 15 goals this season and 14 goals last season. In his last 47 games for Antalyaspor in all competitions, he has 29 goals. Now 25, he’s almost a finished product. There are some rumors tying him to Big Five leagues but it seems likely that moving to one of Turkey’s big Istanbul clubs might make the most sense.

Auston Trusty: In January 2022, Trusty was transferred from Colorado to Arsenal (common ownership) and loaned back to Colorado through July. Then he was loaned to Birmingham City for the 2022/23 Championship season. He excelled in the Championship, playing 3931 minutes and earning his team’s Player of the Season. Arsenal reportedly are planning to sell and the likely landing spot is one of the bigger spending Championship teams. Birmingham City love him, but he might be too pricy.

Ethan Horvath: The USMNT backup goalkeeper was loaned to the Championship’s Luton Town by Nottingham Forest to start the season. Horvath, 28, was a consistent presence in net as Luton Town earned promotion via the playoff. Luton Town has an option to buy Horvath and will have to decide quickly. If they do, Horvath will remain with the club for the Premier League season (he has one more year remaining on his deal). If not, his parent club Nottingham Forest will have to find another landing spot for him which would likely be in the Championship. At this point, Forest probably doesn’t have room for Horvath. If the “option to buy” is reasonable, it seems like Luton Town would be interested to bring Horvath well as he has done well.

Zack Steffen: The USMNT goalkeeper spent 22/23 at Middlesbrough on loan from Manchester City. Steffen, 28, was good but not great as Middlesbrough came up empty in the promotional playoffs. Assuming Middlesbrough doesn’t exercise any option to buy (and I don’t think they will), Manchester City must find a new location for him. That could be anywhere – MLS, back to Germany, back to the Championship.

Malik Tillman: The German-American attacking midfielder is another player who is tough to pinpoint his level. Tillman, 21, spent 2022/23 on loan from Rangers and he impressed, winning the team’s Young Player of the Season and scoring 10 goals in 28 games. With the loan over, he reverts to Bayern Munich who will likely want to sell him for a profit. He boosted his stock at Rangers although his performances in the Champions League and in Old Firm games weren’t his best – which are Rangers’ most challenging games. This is a player who could land just about anywhere but there should be concerns that some teams might be looking to bring him in for depth, not regular minutes.

Tanner Tessmann: The Venezia midfielder was consistently good in Serie B this past season. He was instrumental in lifting the club out of last place and in the promotional playoffs where it came up short. Tessmann, 21, is probably going to be sold for Venezia as he is a good asset to obtain funds. He certainly would be on the radars of some Serie A clubs who scout Serie B but he also could end up in a place like Belgium where he can continue to start regularly and then look for a move to a Big Five league after that.

Bryan Reynolds: His loan from AS Roma to Westerlo was far more successful than his loan last year to Kortrijk. It’s highly unlikely that he goes back to Roma so the question is whether he goes on another loan (which would certainly include an option to buy) or is sold. He’s put himself in a good position for a move up and a move within a Big Five league is possible.

Erik Palmer-Brown: Palmer-Brown, 26, played 3193 minutes for Troyes this season and that was the most minutes played by an American defender in any of the Big Five leagues. But Troyes were relegated, and Palmer-Brown will likely be on the move. He’s another one where it’s hard to gauge a landing spot. It’s possible to see him landing just about anywhere, including returning to MLS or even finding another solid European job.

George Bello: The former Atlanta United left back has had a very difficult 18 month run in Europe. He’s had back to back relegations with Arminia Bielefeld and during that time, Bello’s minutes have declined. It’s hard to see him playing in the 3.Liga next year. If he remains in Europe, it will probably be in a smaller league. He could return to MLS but it depends on which teams are interested.

Justin Che: In May, Hoffenheim declined the option to buy Justin Che on its 18-month loan from FC Dallas. Che recently participated in the U-20 World Cup and it was a positive experience for him. He’s now technically back with FC Dallas but there will probably be interest for him to remain in Europe and FC Dallas has been willing to try to make something work.

Konrad de la Fuente: The Marseille winger had a lost season on loan to Olympiacos in Greece. He played just three games and the last was on September 11, 2022. He apparently was going to move to Hull City on loan, but the deal couldn’t be completed on time. But the fact he hasn’t played a game in nine months has hurt his value. He’s not going to play at Marseille, so he will have to move this summer. He is likely going to have to find a lower level where he can shake off the rust, play, and develop. He has to get this move right or else it is another lost season – which he can’t afford.

Matthew Hoppe: Another young American not in a good situation. Hoppe, 22, has really struggled since that two-week run-in January 2021 for Schalke which included a Bundesliga hat trick. His move to Mallorca didn’t work out and this past season he tried to revive his career at Middlesbrough only to not play and then have an unsuccessful loan at Hibernian in Scotland. He might return to Boro for preseason but if they felt he needed a loan last year, his time at Hibs is unlikely to convince the staff he is ready now. The guess we’ll take is that another loan happens, maybe to League One in England.

Caden Clark: Is another young American player who hasn’t played much (his last game was nine months ago in September). When he joined Leipzig in January, there were reports the club was looking to send him on loan. That didn’t happen and he stayed at Leipzig where he would occasionally make the bench (although he never made his club debut). He was not part of the U.S. U-20 World Cup team. But ne needs to play and it seems likely that Leipzig will be rededicated to finding a loan where he can play regular minutes. It seems like the 2.Bundesliga, Austrian Bundesliga, or somewhere else on the continent seem about at the level he’d want to start getting minutes in Europe.

Others who could move

While not as likely to leave as those above, there are others who also have a shot.

Taylor Booth: After a successful season at Utrecht, there have been several reports of expensive transfer interest. Booth, 21, might move but also might remain in Holland to get another full season under his belt.

Gianluca Busio: It’s not a sure bet he moves from Venezia but his minutes declined over 2022/23 in Serie B and he was an expensive acquisition for the club when they moved to Serie A. Busio needs to play, Venezia would probably like to unload his salary but that’s all easier said than done. Still, it seems like a better than 50-50 chance he moved.

Johnny Cardoso: The New Jersey-born Brazilian defensive midfielder has frequently been linked with a transfer from Internacional to various big teams in Europe. Last window it was Monaco and others. Now it is Real Betis and other La Liga teams. Playing at a big Brazilian club is going to attract interest. But nothing seems imminent.

Andrija Novakovich: The Venezia forward had a tough season and didn’t find the back of the net in the Serie B campaign. It’s easy to see him looking elsewhere.

Alex Mendez: The Vizela midfielder has been in Portugal for a few years and has been in and out of the team’s starting lineup. Recently he was linked to a move to Mexico, which would probably increase his salary.

Yunus Musah: Around the time of the World Cup, there were rumors that Valencia was asking $40 million for Musah and that there was interest from big clubs. After narrowly avoiding relegation and Musah not producing much (0 goals, 2 assists), it seems unlikely they’ll hit that number. But will Valencia look to cut bait, or hold onto him for another season in hopes his performances and value increase? He’s still young, so perhaps that is what happens.

Matt Turner: The USMNT starting goalkeeper moved to Arsenal last summer and it was clear he was going in as the backup. But he didn’t make a single Premier League appearance. He has said he wants to play more, but is Arsenal happy with him being a perpetual backup or do they want to loan him to keep him sharp?

Christian Cappis: The central midfielder saw his minutes decline this year at Brondby. He made eight starts but all came in 2022. In 2023, he was limited to coming off the bench. After developing at the FC Dallas academy, he elected to move to Europe because league rules would only let him sign for Houston – which he didn’t want to do. Cappis, 23, now seems open to a move to MLS, but will it be Houston? Can he find a way to Dallas? Or will it be elsewhere.