Could Tajon Buchanan be departing the New England Revolution for Europe? Amid reported overseas interest in the standout Canadian international, head coach Bruce Arena said the club has indeed fielded offers, but none that they plan on accepting in 2021.
The Revs' head coach and sporting director said as much during his guest spot on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, confirming to co-hosts Marc Bertrand and Scott Zolak that he's been in contact with multiple European clubs regarding the winger. However, he added that he didn't foresee the club moving Buchanan this season, with any theoretical transfer more likely coming after the 2021 campaign.
The reasoning, Arena explained, is simple: The Revs feel good about the state of their roster and are more inclined to keep their group together in the hopes of making a trophy run.
"Well, we have offers, and they're for significant amounts in my view, in my income bracket, anyway," Arena said. "We're pretty adamant on the fact we're not going to move any players this year and if there's a move it'll be made in January. I've spoken to clubs in four different countries in Europe that have an interest [in Buchanan], and some of our other players as well. That's the economics of our sport is transfers, that's all part of it. But right now, and I believe [ownership] feel the same way, we want to keep our team together this year and see if we can be a little bit more successful as we enter the playoffs."
RC Lens of Ligue 1, FC Augsburg of the Bundesliga and Club Brugge of the Belgium First Division are among the clubs previously linked to Buchanan, although Arena didn't specify the suitors he's been in contact with.
The Revs have good reason to avoid rocking the boat. New England are currently the Supporters' Shield frontrunners with 33 points from 16 matches, one point clear of the Seattle Sounders and two points ahead of Sporting Kansas City for the top spot in the league table.
Along with MVP frontrunner Carles Gil, Buchanan has been a big part of that success; the 22-year-old contributed three goals and three assists in 12 appearances before departing for international duty. He was recently with Canada at the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup, scoring in their 2-1 semifinal defeat to Mexico.
While Buchanan appears to be staying put for the time being, Arena said New England might be inclined to make an addition in the current transfer window. Although the coach again emphasized that he feels confident in their current roster.
"We have a transfer window that ends August 5, so we can bring in another player or two if we wish and if the right player is out there and we can secure his transfer rights, we could do something over the next week or so," Arena said. "But right now, we're pretty pleased with our team."
