Atlanta United have their No. 10.
Atlanta announced on Tuesday the signing of Alexey Miranchuk from Serie A side Atalanta BC on a Designated Player contract lasting through 2027 with an option through 2028. Financial terms were not disclosed per club policy, but Miranchuk’s transfer fee is a reported $13 million, among the highest fees in MLS for an incoming player.
“We’re excited to sign a player of Alexey’s quality at this point in his career from a top league in Europe,” Carlos Bocanegra said in a club release. “He’s an attacking player who is an excellent chance creator capable of scoring goals. Over the last four years, he has been a consistent player in Serie A and has made more than 40 combined appearances in UEFA Champions League and Europa League, while helping Atalanta win the Europa League title in 2023-24. We’re pleased to add a player with his experience and winning mentality to our group and we look forward to welcoming him to Atlanta.”
Miranchuk will fill the slot vacated by Thiago Almada after the latter’s sale to Brazillian top-flight outfit Botafogo ahead of an expected move to sister club Lyon in the winter. The Russian international was part of Atalanta’s Europa League-winning squad in 2023-24, assisting on all three goals during its Round of 16 win over Sporting Lisbon. He also has Champions League experience with both Atalanta and Lokomotiv Moscow, debuting for the latter in 2013 and remaining there before moving to Italy in 2020. During the 2018 World Cup, hosted by Russia, he made one start.
Across all competitions during the previous season, Miranchuk registered four goals and 12 assists in 42 appearances (21 starts), averaging a goal contribution every 115.6 minutes. According to FBRef, he is in the 99th percentile of assists and expected assisted goals (xAG), while his combined non-penalty xG and xAG is in the 96th percentile.
The big question is when Miranchuk will be available for selection as he awaits a visa. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that he will take the field for the first time for Atlanta’s August 24 away match at the LA Galaxy. A more realistic scenario could see him make his debut at Charlotte FC on August 31.
All eyes remain on the front office for further moves as Atlanta still have a massive amount of cash available. Will it pursue a DP striker (as originally planned) or look to strengthen the team at another spot? That remains to be seen, but Miranchuk’s official signing represents a major piece of the puzzle being filled in.
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Ronald Hernandez injured his MCL in practice and is unavailable for 4-6 weeks, per Roberson.
Was that signing a certain Josef Martinez?
Yes
Oh, he’s left footed! Okay he’ll be good.
So interesting thought: if Ricardo Pepi is still looking out of PSV, would it be worth a move?
I don’t know if Pepi is interested in moving back to MLS at this point
If it is a short stay that can help him reset and stay highly visible before returning to Europe, I could see how he could be coaxed back as a U-22. Not needing to use an INTL spot on him is significant because we are maxed out without trading for another one, and if we don’t sign another DP we can add our 4th U-22 until we transfer out Sosa/Ibarra/both.
Also doesn’t Dallas hold on to his discovery rights?
Same thoughts: which is better for building your career ~750 minutes over a year in Eredevisie or 2,000+ in MLS
[…] Alexey Miranchuk completes transfer to Atlanta United […]
[…] Alexey Miranchuk completes transfer to Atlanta United […]
I haven’t found good reason to be hyped with him yet, with so many qualifiers to his main standout stat of G+A/90, so I decided to do some stat scrolling, to try and get an idea about him.
Looking at stats of his games with Atalanta on transfermarkt, here’s some generalizations I think I can make:
pros:
cons:
The question I still have that would take more time to dive into: as mentioned, it did seem to the eyetest that generally if he played, they won, and if he didn’t they lost (not always, but generally). So, what was the coach’s reasoning for subbing him in or not? Was it to try to save the game, and it succeeded, or was it because the game was generally in the bag and to give the starters a rest? Did he not get subbed in to save him for a different game, or because they needed more defense than they did offense, or was it because there was someone better for the job?
holy crap that’s a lot I wrote up that I wasn’t expecting when I started this.
I remember in a match thread, you once told me you weren’t a true fan… So are you a super fan?
lol. I don’t remember the exact words I used or the thread, but I suspect what I said was something along the lines of me getting to the point of giving up on watching the team. Regardless, I’d say I’m pretty cynical about the team in general now, and likely not going to be optimistic until I see a promising coaching hire.
I’m not going to put a label on myself, but I’ve followed since 2018 and to a degree in 2017, not really any other teams, and tend to be most interested in the tactics. Take that as you will.
Likewise
I really like this signing. This seems to have Lagerwey’s influence all over it. Kind of a fringe starter/rotational player on a big five club with elite per 90 creation numbers, not just in Italy but all of Europe. Hopefully it doesn’t take too long to get him on the training ground and into the lineup.
Now go get a great striker and let’s build some momentum to close out 2024 and build for 2025.
I can’t imagine Atlanta sign another DP if they are international, since we would need another international slot unless we have another player close to getting a green card.
I thought they acquired another INTL slot yesterday or last week?
Almada had a green card, so disn’t use and intl. spot.
GG’s intl. spot went to Amador, so we needed an additional intl. spot to sign Miranchuk.
yup, so if we want to sign another DP that is international, we will need another international slot
Garth made it sound like there were INTL slots to be had on the open market.
Imagine this, Brandon Vazquez
That would make the (old) FO look soooo dumb though.
That’s just a double win in my book