TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing
FC Cincinnati have signed defender Tyler Blackett from English Championship side Nottingham Forest through June 2022 with a club option for the 2023 season, the club announced Friday.
The transaction was made before the end of the Secondary Transfer Window on Thursday night and the 27-year-old left back, who can also play center back, is available for selection for the remainder of the 2021 season pending receipt of P-1 visa and ITC. He's currently recovering from groin surgery.
“We are delighted to have signed Tyler Blackett to our squad,” Cincinnati general manager Gerard Nijkamp said in a release. “A player of his caliber is a welcome addition to our 2021 roster. His experience at the top levels of professional soccer shows his quality and what he can bring to FC Cincinnati.”
Blackett, who came up through Manchester United’s youth system, has made over 150 professional appearances in the Premier League, EFL Championship and Scottish Premiership. Blackett most recently played for Nottingham Forest in the Championship, making 14 appearances in the 2020-21 season for the Reds as they narrowly missed the promotion playoffs.
Prior to making his move to Forest, Blackett played four seasons with Reading FC, appearing in 110 matches for the club and providing eight assists from defensive positions. At Reading, Blackett played under then-manager Jaap Stam. Blackett arrived on a nearly $2 million transfer fee just two months after Stam arrived.
Blackett also made 11 appearances for Manchester United before loan spells with Blackpool and Birmingham City in the Championship and Celtic, where his squad won the Scottish Premiership in 2015-16.
Internationally, Blackett represented England nine times from the U16 side up to his most recent appearance on September 9, 2014 with the English U21 team under manager Gareth Southgate.
FC Cincinnati have been busy before the close of the Secondary Transfer Window, also trading with the New York Red Bulls for midfielder Florian Valot for $50,000 General Allocation Money with a possible additional $50K GAM if certain performance-based metrics are met.
