Rumor: Premier League Defender Linked to Sporting KC

Update 2/4/20: Now it’s being reported the whole thing is off.

Updated 2/2/20: The New Zealand Herald is now reporting that the loan mentioned below is to Nashville SC and it’s a six-month loan.

Updated 1/29/20: 1 News out of New Zealand is reporting that Winston Reid is coming to the United States on loan. No team is confirmed, though the original rumors of Sporting KC and Nashville SC are re-stated.

“Winston Reid is going to join a club in America on loan, everything being well,” West Hame United manager David Moyes said. “I don’t want to give you a club just now, he’s got to get through a medical and a few other things.”

We are deep into silly season, so the rumors just won’t stop. Today’s rumor comes from the Daily Mail in the UK and links West Ham United defender Winston Reid to both Sporting Kansas City and MLS expansion club Nashville SC. Reid is a right-footed center back who hasn’t played for West Ham for nearly two seasons (May 2018) due to injuries. So it seems pretty clear that he doesn’t make any sense for Sporting KC.

That said, it’s always fun to dig a little deeper on rumors. The 31-year-old defender has been dealing with knee injuries for the last 18-months. Just yesterday he rejected a loan move to to English Championship side Charlton Athletic.

According to the Daily Mail he is under contract until 2023 but “the club are willing to look at offers owing to his injury record and age.” That’s a hard pass from me. He’d probably want a similarly long deal in the United States and his age and injury problems aren’t what SKC need.

Reid has dual citizenship with both Denmark and New Zealand. He has 25-caps for the New Zealand national team going back to 2010. Before that he was a youth international for Denmark. He also has 13 goals and 12 assists over his professional career that dates back to 2005.

Transfermarkt puts his value at $5.7 million US. That’s a lot of money for a player that is less than a sure thing. Let West Ham loan him to Nashville if they so desire to take that risk. I can’t imagine any MLS team would pay a transfer fee anywhere close to that for an aging CB, even one of Reid’s talent.

In the 2019-20 season, Reid has just a single appearances in the Premier League 2. The league is primarily a U-23 league but each team can field a GK and three field players over the age limit. Likely Reid just got a rehab start down there. He played 72 minutes.

Verdit: HARD PASS

This is clearly an agent trying to drum up interest for his player. He’s too old, too often injured and too expensive for SKC to even give him a look. If he came on a free transfer for a really cheap price, it still probably isn’t worth doing despite the clear talent levels. Sporting KC have a lot of money tied up in the CB spot (Matt Besler, Andreu Fontas) and have two capable backups (Botond Barath, Roberto Puncec) and a developmental project (Graham Smith).

Prior to this significant injury, he does have a stretch of minor injuries, but nothing like this recent knee injury. Although this isn’t reliable, his FIFA 20 card shows he’s also pretty slow. Sporting KC have no need for more slow CB’s.