TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Mutual contract termination
Nashville SC and striker Aké Loba have mutually agreed to terminate his contract, the club announced Monday. The 25-year-old, as a result, has been placed on waivers.
Loba, as of early January, was on loan at Liga MX club Mazatlán. Despite being away from Nashville, the Ivory Coast native still occupied a Designated Player spot.
Loba initially joined Nashville in July 2021 from Liga MX side CF Monterrey, though never quite lived up to his club-record transfer fee (reported $6.8 million). He only tallied two goals and two assists across 40 league games (two starts), struggling to lock down the starting No. 9 spot under head coach Gary Smith.
With Loba off the books, Nashville have Teal Bunbury and Ethan Zubak as their primary striker options in an attack that’s carried by Hany Mukhtar, the reigning Landon Donovan MLS MVP and Golden Boot presented by Audi winner. Last week, the club traded veteran C.J. Sapong to Toronto FC.
Should Nashville want to pursue additions, the league’s Secondary Transfer Window runs from July 5 to Aug. 2. In the meantime, with the Primary Transfer Window closing last week, teams can still sign out-of-contract players.
Nashville are chasing a fourth straight Audi MLS Cup Playoffs trip in 2023. They’re led by Mukhtar and US men’s national team center back Walker Zimmerman, their two remaining DPs.
READ MORE: MLS Transfer Tracker presented by Avant
