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“El Kaku” Is Finally a Red Bull: Transfer Timeline and Analysis

El Kaku

For New York Red Bulls fans, the saga is finally over. The 23-year-old Argentine midfielder/winger Alejandro “Kaku” Romero Gamarra has arrived at last. Rumors of Gamarra’s departure from Argentina’s Primera División club, CA Huracán, first developed in December. After an agreement was reached between the clubs, the transfer was held up for almost two months. The players former agent, Marcelo Simonian, came into the picture demanding part of the $6.25 million transfer fee. After an almost ridiculous period of drama on the Huracán end and uncertainty from an RBNY perspective, it is all over. The Kaku transfer is complete, and the New York Red Bulls most expensive player in their history has arrived.

“El Kaku” Is Finally a Red Bull: Transfer Timeline and Analysis

In order to fully appreciate the signing, let us revisit the series of events which transpired over the last couple of months.

Rumors of RBNY’s interest in a young Argentine #10 began to swirl in early December. Metro fans, along with everyone else, thought it was a done deal when CA Huracán published an official release on Romero Gamarra’s exit from the club on Christmas Day:

The hype only lasted a few days, when news of an interruption in the process surfaced out of Argentina:

Most US-based soccer fans following the transfer had to rely on bits and pieces of information. Loosely translated quotes helped them ascertain that the record signing was now in jeopardy of being signed at all. After ten days of the deal in a state of limbo, the Red Bulls’ faithful heard some good news out of Argentina. Apparently officials from Huracán assured Major League Soccer that Simonian had no case. Therefore, if he tried to take legal action against the transfer or the club, it would be found that Kaku’s former representative had no legal right to a commission.

https://twitter.com/JogaBonito_USA/status/951599611885572097

Almost two weeks later, there was little news on the situation, good or bad. All RBNY fans knew was that the player hadn’t practiced with Huracán for weeks, indicating an imminent move.

Jan. 23 finally came with new insight to the process. Reports surfaced that both CA Huracán and Gamarra broke and have paid Simonian a combined $700,000 to put an end to the drama. The report from TyC Sports indicated that the paying-off of Simonian resolved the conflict, and that the transfer was free to be completed.

https://twitter.com/JogaBonito_USA/status/955982059645829120

What happened after that? You guessed it…. another snag!

At this point, much of the fan-base gave up hope on Kaku’s arrival in New York, and laid “#KakuWatch” to rest. It was certainly the low-point of the saga for fans who began to move on.

https://twitter.com/JogaBonito_USA/status/957035973656932384

Until….

This tweet from an Argentine journalist Marcelo Rodriguez explained that Kaku would be travelling to the US for a medical soon, and that the deal would be completed. One of the players two attorneys, Gustavo Casasola, confirmed that they gave up their commission to ensure the deal got through:

After much social media chatter all day Jan. 1, Kaku posted a photo of him in the airport in Argentina with his family. A handful of die-hard Metro fans did some detective work to figure out which flight he was on, and greeted him upon arrival in America.

He is here now. The Kaku transfer saga is over. Yet, things for Kaku are really just beginning.

What Does Kaku Bring To NY?

There is no two-ways around it- this young man has the expectations of the largest sports market in the United States heaped upon him from the moment his plane touched down. Gamarra is arriving as the most expensive transfer in franchise history, at a club Thierry Henry made his home.

No pressure, right?

As far as statistics go, the 23-year-old is not the most flashy of signings. In 95 career matches (in all competitions since 2014/15) with CA Huracán, he has notched just eight goals and thirteen assists. At first, it doesn’t sound like numbers are worth the price-tag. However, don’t look poorly on Gamarra for these numbers. As a team, Huracán finished 25th out of 30 in the Primera Division for 2016/17. 2016/17 was Gamarra’s breakout year as far as playing time, so it is no wonder his statistics suffered when the team struggled to score goals.

This season seems to be going much better for both club and player. Huracán are in fifth place in the league currently, and Gamarra has a goal and three assists in 12 matches (882 minutes). This leaves him one point shy of his tally of five from all last year (27 matches, 1,885 minutes). So far, he has about doubled his points-per-minute ratio, and things are looking up.

Regardless, I’ve always thought numbers were a bit overrated. To really see what this player can do, take a look at the undeniable skill, speed, and ability he has.

Maybe he can boost his production with the Red Bulls. Kaku has spent his whole career at a single club. How can he deal with a move to the largest city in a country that doesn’t speak his language? “I want to play as many games as possible, score many goals, assist Wright-Phillips, be a great team and make things difficult for all other MLS teams,” Kaku said via translator. The young man is already showing his incredible ambition, and goal to bring an MLS Cup to Red Bull Arena.

Wrap-Up

It is worth noting that all signs lead to Kaku fitting right in to the system at RBNY. First of all, he fits the mold of a classic Jesse-Marsch-era Red Bull signing. Young, fast, dynamic and creative in the attack, and able to press high, especially up the wing. The Argentine should feel comfortable on the pitch with the positions and style that will be asked of him.

We will have to wait and see if he is played as a traditional left-wing, or if Marsch may attempt the 4-2-2 again, or something entirely different. Depending on the scenario, Kaku could be employed on the wing, or used as a true number 10.

No matter where he plays, one thing is clear- Kaku will not have long to prove himself before the RBNY fan-base becomes restless and wonders what this was all about. Considering the player is valued at 3.5 million Euros (≈4.27 million USD) according to Transfermarkt, and the Red Bulls paid a fee of 6.25 million USD for just 80% of his rights (meaning Huracán get 20% of any future sale of the player), they may be right.

The Kaku transfer is an exciting new chapter for Metro fans after the departure of Sacha Kljestan. Though there is a perceived risk bringing him in, it seems this young man may have a very high ceiling.

Welcome, Kaku, we all anxiously await your debut.

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