Editorial (August 15, 2017) – The LA Galaxy 2017 season is pretty much over. They are fourth worst in Major League Soccer and are nine points out of the playoffs with 11 games remaining. For many reasons, including preparing for 2018, they should sell defenders Jelle Van Damme and Ashley Cole while they still can.
The LA Galaxy Should Sell Van Damme And Cole Now
The Galaxy have 23 points on 23 games played in 2017. Recently, it’s taken about 45-50 points to make the playoffs in MLS. That means they’ll have to get at least 22 points from their remaining 11 games. That’s improbable.
The club now needs to start looking towards preparing for the 2018 season. In doing so, they need to make some decisions regarding two veteran players: 33-year-old Centerback Jelle Van Damme and 36-year-old Fullback Ashley Cole (both of whom have birthdays later this calendar year).
While we don’t have complete or thorough information on this, it is highly suspected that Van Damme and Cole will be out of contract this January. They could walk for free at that time. With the season effectively over and it being unlikely that either player will be with the club in 2018, there’s no real benefit to keeping them around. They’re taking away minutes from younger players Head Coach Sigi Schmid could be playing and evaluating.
Cole is one of the highest paid right backs in league history with a base salary of $350,000. While his veteran leadership is valued, there’s a question of whether he’ll even be playing by this time next year (MLS or elsewhere). Even if he’s willing to take a pay cut, Cole will be an overpaid risk in 2018.
It’s been rumored that he has an offer from Birmingham City FC in the English Championship. This or any other England option would be a good move for Cole to get closer to his family and home. Even a nominal transfer fee could help the Galaxy for next year.
Van Damme has had an up and down year. He signed a contract extension at the start of the year that made him a Designated Player. The Galaxy have since bought his contract down with Targeted Allocation Money to sign Jonathan dos Santos. Van Damme has had some poor performaces and has missed several games due to red cards and yellow card accumulation.
The Belgian is also dealing with family issues. He went through a divorce in the summer. As such, his two young kids have been unable to visit him in Los Angeles. This has left him less than happy off the field. He’s torn between playing for a club he likes in a place he likes living and being a present father to his children. There has been some reported interest from Royal Antwerp FC, who were recently promoted to the Belgian first division.
If the Galaxy wait till December, Van Damme will probably walk for nothing. There’s clearly enough interest for him to get some contract offer back home. If the Galaxy pull the trigger now like with Cole, they’ll get a transfer fee. Schmid will be able to experiment with the backline options for 2018. Van Damme can go home to his kids. Everybody wins. Again, they have nothing to lose by selling him now.
While the MLS transfer window has closed (meaning no foreign based players can transfer into MLS), the Belgium and England transfer windows are open till August 31st. The Galaxy still have time to make these moves happen. For all the blunders the front office has made this year, they still have chance to start correcting for next year now.
