If you’ve followed the New England Revolution over the years you know of the ownership’s reluctance to go all in for this team. Over the 20 year history of the team the Revolution have only had four designated players. BUT, Revolution president Brian Bilello has teased us with a new DP signing for the Revs. So, who is the Rev’s mystery DP?
Completed a DP signing this week. Pre-contract, should be able to share more details in the next few weeks. More signings still to come.
— Brian Bilello (@RevsPrez) January 19, 2016
Bilello hints that fans have to wait a few weeks for the player to be announced. This is most likely because the MLS transfer window does not open until February 18th. Don’t get your hopes up to see the DP on opening day because Bilello also stated that they are signed to a pre-contract. This usually means that the players contract is expiring and they have contracted with the new team to play once that contract has been completed.
We know that the player will most likely not be a defender as the Revs signed Sporting Club De Portugal’s center back Smabinha to a season long loan. There is an option for a permanent transfer at the end of the year. Therefore we can safely say that the Revs’ DP is most likely going to be a midfielder.
The Leading Candidates:
Xavier Kouassi
The Scion FC midfielder has been linked to the Revs a ton in the last week. And I can’t say that I would hate the move. I know when people hear DP they want a big name, an international star. But let me try and open your eyes to Kuassi.
The 26 year old midfielder has made 16 appearances this year for the Swiss team, making 14 starts and captaining the team for all 14 of those starts. You can break down all his Kouassi’s games here.
The best part about being a first team player is the amount of game film we have of Kuassi. His main position is listed as defensive midfielder, so we could be looking at our replacement for Jermaine Jones. There are some similarities between the two but the biggest difference: speed! As you can see Kouassi has some exceptional speed, but mixed with his physicality he can wrestle for the ball and then immediately begin the counter attack.
Although there have been multiple outlets linking Kouassi to the Revs, I do have some hesitations. A DP is a player who would be making above the allowed salary cap limit for a player, which is $450,000. After some deep research I couldn’t find anything on Kouassi’s current salary, but his value is approximately 1.5mil€.
I would give this about a 75% chance of this signing happening. All signs point towards a defensive midfielder signing and the relationship with Sion is established as the Revs signed Jose Goncalves from the Swiss team in 2013. I don’t give Kouassi 100% because you just never know with this Revs front office.
Ricardo Costa
The originally mentioned player on Twitter was Ricardo Costa. The 34 year old Portuguese defender is currently on loan at Greek side PAOK FC. I won’t go to much in depth with this rumor because with the signing of Sambinha I doubt the Revs are going to sign another CB.
But a little on Costa just incase your curious. Costa has made 21 appearances for he Greek squad this year. Something to watch out for is that Costa has missed 8 weeks this season due to an ankle injury. At his age there could be some concerns on his ability to bounce back from the injury. The Portuguese international suited up for his country 22 times, but the last appearance was in 2014.
Although the large Portuguese population around Boston would love this signing, I would give it about a 5% chance of happening due to the rush of defensive players the Revs now have.
Cheick Tiote
Originally linked to the Revs in November, the Tiote rumors have died down significantly since then. The 29 year old Ivory Coast midfielder has voiced his unhappiness with his Premier League club, Newcastle. Although this would be a massive signing for the Revs, I wouldn’t bet on it happening.
Tiote is valued at 7.5mil€ which we know the Krafts are not going to spend. Beyond that the main reason Tiote expressed unease with Newcastle was because of his £60,000/wk salary, and I will bet my home that the Revs aren’t going to be paying him anything near that.
I would rate this move at a 1% chance of happening. I don’t like to close doors on things but this is almost a forgone conclusion that this wont be happening.
What To Expect
Look for an announcement within the next two weeks, as long as the Revs president sticks to his words. Hopefully by then we will know who the Revolution’s DP will be and when they will join the squad. Until then, get excited for the new jersey launch on February 11. I heard a rumor that there is a PSG feel to the new home kit for the Revs.
Main Photo: Johannes Simon, Getty Images
