Rumor: Sporting KC Tied to Slovakian International Centerback

Sporting Kansas City have made it pretty clear that they want to sign another right center back. With that news it’s likely that many center backs will be linked to the Major League Soccer club in the coming days and weeks until (and possibly after) a signing has been made.

The newest rumor comes from Tutto Mercato, an Italian focused football site, though they credit Corriere dello Sport with the initial report (we are unable to locate that story). They state that Salernitana CB Norbert Gyomber is asking for a contract extension and the Serie A side is unwilling to provide it and now offers are coming in. One from Sporting KC and another from Shabab Al Ahli Dubai from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Reportedly Gyomber is looking for a three-year contract worth €600,000 to €700,000 which is about $638,000 to $744,000 based on today’s exchange rates.

Salernitana are in Serie A and are sitting near the middle of the table in 12th. They only recently returned to Serie A (along with Gianluca Busio led Venezia FC) back ahead of the 2021-22 season. The difference is they avoided relegation last year. They finished 17th. They are currently 10 points clear of 18th place Cremonese.

SKC Fit?

As with all rumors, this one should be taken with a healthy dose of skepticism. However, let’s take a look at Gyomber and see if he’s a fit.

First, he’s right footed, which isn’t a requirement but fits the RCB need Vermes recently mentioned. Next, he turned 30 over the summer and his contract ends in the summer of 2023. Technically he could sign a pre-contract now and leave for free in the summer. Teams have been known to let players leave for nominal fees to recoup some of their investment.

His current market value is €1 million on Transfermarkt. They list him as able to play either CB spot, but the left center back spot is firmly filled on the Sporting roster by Andreu Fontas and Robert Voloder. If the Gyomber rumor is true, then he’d be expected to compete with Kortne Ford for the right sided spot.

Another sign he’s a good fit for Kansas City is he’s currently out injured. However, he apparently is “healed from the muscle injury suffered against Lazio,” so hopefully it’s of no concern. And while it’s not always accurate, TM lists a few injuries for Gyomber, he’s never missed more than 10 games. Still, for a team like KC constantly dealing with injuries it would seem, it something to be cautious of.

This move would also require an international spot. Sporting KC have used all eight of theirs, but it’s possible they have players nearing the receipt of green cards or could make a trade to acquire another one.

Photo by Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images

More on Gyomber

Prior to joining Salernitana, he came up in his native Slovakia. However, he has mostly been in various levels of Italian football. He first joined Catania, who currently find themselves in Serie D. He was later sold for €1m to AS Roma, though he was mostly out on loan after that move. He only has six first team appearances for Roma. Overall, he has 76 Serie A appearances, 125 in Serie B and 277 across all competitions.

Gyomber also is a dual national for Slovakia (where he has 28 appearances for the full National Team) and Hungary, which may explain the PV connection. “Highlights” are never easy to come by for defenders, but here are some dated ones from the 2016 Euros.

Not sure much weight can be placed on these highlights because of their age and because he appears to be playing in a more advanced position, possibly defensive midfielder, in some of the clips.

The always unreliable FIFA 23 ratings have his acceleration as pretty slow, but his sprint speed is decent. Football Manager on the other hand, rates him a bit higher in that department.

What do you think? Does he look like a fit for Sporting Kansas City to you? Join the conversation in the comments.