New England Weekly Review: Transfer Shake-Up Edition

Assessing the market from the New England perspective.

Photo by John Alexander Dolan

Following the inspiration from thrashing Montreal, the New England Revolution returned to losing ways as they fell 2-0 to Real Salt Lake.

Rhode Island FC continued its charge for a playoff spot as they beat the Birmingham Legion 2-0 on Jack Panayotou’s return.

Mamadou Dieng made it three consecutive games with a goal in Hartford Athletic’s 1-1 draw against Detroit City FC.

The Revs II tied 1-1 with Chicago Fire FC II as both teams finished the game with 10 players. The Revs II went on to win 4-2 in the penalty shoot-out.

Despite the action on the field, the transfer market held changes for several players linked with New England. Here’s a review of some of the moves.

Djordie Petrovic

As Chelsea bulked up their squad size during the window, they managed to have nine goalies in the first team at a certain point.

Even though Petrovic finished the season as Chelsea’s first option in goal, the situation in goal shifted during the market. The signing of Filip Jöregensen from Villareal and new head coach Enzo Maresca’s preference for Robert Sanchez put the former Revs goalie looking for an exit.

In an easy solution, Chelsea sent Petrovic on loan to Strasbourg — also owned by Todd Boehly — in Ligue 1.

Petrovic will compete with Swedish international Karl-Johan Johnsson, a new arrival from Bordeaux, for the starting spot. Johnsson played well for a woeful Bordeaux keeping seven clean sheets in 22 games. However, he conceded 33 goals in the other 15 Ligue 2 games.

So far this season, Johnsson has conceded six goals in three games. Four of the six came from a 4-3 loss against Olympique Lyon in which Strasbourg led 3-1.

Petrovic looks likely to start and play well could either earn him another chance at Chelsea or a move to another big club. The loan move could also help him to keep pushing to become Serbia’s starting keeper.

Noel Buck

In some parallel universe, the Revolution could have received a substantial offer from a Premier League or Bundesliga side as several clubs were reportedly interested.

However, the lack of playing time under Caleb Porter seems to have stifled the interest from many of the bigger clubs like Tottenham Hotspurs.

Instead, Buck left the Revolution on a loan to Southampton with an option to buy.

The idea is that Buck will play on Southhampton’s U-21 side until January and then the club will evaluate triggering the optional buying clause on the loan deal.

In a year, Southampton could most likely be back in the Championship, which would give Buck a chance to hop into the first team. If they remain in the Premier League, Buck could be loaned down to a Championship side or even remain on the team.

Personally, Buck has a good opportunity to impress in England and could establish himself there since he already features regularly for their U-20s.

If the loan doesn’t work out, Buck could always return to New England and hopefully earn himself more playing time.

From a financial perspective, a permanent move to Southampton would be fine even with a reduced fee as long as the Revs managed to get a good sell-on percentage in the deal. Southampton tend to sell young players for profit as they did with Charly Alcaraz this summer.

A good sell-on fee for a potential move could bring some cash back to the Revs and lead to Buck playing the rest of his career in Europe.

Jack Panayotou

Once again, the Revs sent Panayotou down to Rhode Island FC with a re-call clause.

Panayotou will play for Khano Smith’s side again this season as the Revs regained many of the injured players. With a decline in playing time, the loan move will keep Panayotou developing and allow fans to enjoy of his play.

The just makes sense because Panayotou’s in an odd place within the Revolution’s squad: he’s too good to be on the Revs II and not yet good enough to compete with Carles Gil for the attacking midfielder position.

A loan to Rhode Island, where he fits the tactical system and already showed that he can play well there, seems the safest bet to secure consistent playing time for the Cambridge, Massachusetts, native.

Moise Bombito

It’s already been talked about enough, but Bombito’s move from the Colorado Rapids to OGC Nice shows the massive potential that the MLS can have as a pathway to Europe’s top five leagues.

The former Seacoast United defender played in the MLS for two seasons after being drafted by the Colorado Rapids in 2022. With only 34 games for the Rapids, Nice paid $7.2 million for his services.

The move showcases a pathway for current USL League 2 players in the Northeast Division who are looking to make their way into the MLS.

Since joining, Bombito started two games and has already seen his first red card in Ligue 1. However, he looks like a set starter in Frank Haise’s three-at-the-back system.

Tola Showunmi

This move seemed to fly under the radar as another former Seacoast United player moved to Europe.

Showunmi played for Merrimack College and the University of New Hampshire before starting his professional career in the USL Championship.

After a season for the Pittsburgh Riverhound, Showunmi moved to Louisville City FC. This year Showunmi scored against Hartford Athletic in a 6-0 win for Louisville.

This summer, Showunmi switched the USL Championship leaders for Crawley Town in the EFL League 1. Since his arrival, the 24-year-old has yet to debut in the English third tier.

The move shows the potential that Rhode Island FC and Hartford Athletic can achieve in the market as the USL Championship continues to grow.