Red Bulls Paper Revue: November 14, 2022

Nov 14, 2022 - 9:55 PM

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Welcome to the Red Bulls Paper Revue presented by Once a Metro.

The great thing about cold weather is nothing. There is nothing good about cold weather.

Here’s this week’s top story.

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Let’s start off by cleaning up all those details about Elias Manoel.

Reports came out of Brazil that the New York Red Bulls are trying to keep the young attacker at the club. The 20-year-old was decent in limited opportunities, displaying a physical tenacity and general dynamism that was missing for much of the 2022 season. While his loan includes an option to buy, why not step to the negotiating table?

“As is often the case in football, the American board made an attempt to reshape the operation,” wrote JB Filho, with just a touch of cynicism. “They offered to pay a lower amount than expected, but with the special condition of paying for everything in cash, sending all the money over the next few days. The amount currently provided for in the contract is divided, half now and the other only in 2024. But the offer is being denied by the Gremio leadership. According to the people I talked to, it wouldn’t be a good deal if they accepted.”

Oooh, drama, drama, but how much was offered? “The Americans offered to pay 1 million dollars, but in cash, now, later this year,” shared the Brazilian journo. “Grêmio’s management denied this proposal because it would lose 350 thousand dollars. But there is still a chance of a renegotiation. Grêmio itself admits this. The talks did not end and it is believed that if the Americans offer 1.2 million dollars in cash, there is a chance that the sale will come out that way.”

The talks continue. Personally, I think this deal gets done. Grêmio really doesn’t want Elias (their loss), and the Red Bulls have seen enough to know that he can make some semblance of an impact in Major League Soccer.

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Yes, that appears to be Gerhard Struber at Sunderland’s recent match against Birmingham, sitting next to majority owner, chairperson, and “playboy billionaire” Kyril Louis-Dreyfus.

The Black Cats are doing okay in the English Championship, at 15th in the table after earning promotion last season. Relegation is still a threat, but manager Tony Mowbray seems to be performing well enough since being hired at the end of August. This was probably just a meeting of the minds, as Chronicle Live says the reasons for Struber’s presence at the match “are unclear.”

And, in case you’re wondering, the owner’s second cousin once-removed is Julia Louis-Dreyfus, an actress best known for The New Adventures of Old Christine.

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Everyone is excited about the Red Bulls’ new training facility. I’m just kidding. Some people are unhappy.

According to Patch, the proposal is “back on the agenda of the Morris Township Planning Board, adding to the already lengthy approval process.” The club has revised plans, but potential neighbors are “concerned about the increase in overnight or late-night lightning.” On the positive side, the facility is expected to include a dormitory for academy players, which is nice because the Red Bulls are miles behind the competition by not having one.

The public hearings continue, but I’m sure the training facility will be fantastic after construction finishes in 2073.

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Attacker Artur Victor Guimarães, also known as Artur, looks to be on the way out of Red Bull Bragantino.

The former Brazil youth international threw up ten goals and nine assists in 48 total matches, although I’m sure his contributions go beyond the stat sheet. According to Globo, Corinthians, Flamengo, and Palmeiras are kicking the tires on the 24-year-old. However, the club would prefer to sell him to the “US or Middle East market.” The desired price tag is around ten million euro, which is around 10,350,000 Yankee dollars.

I’m going to take a shot in the dark and assume Artur is not coming to New York unless he’s wearing another team’s jersey, likely a pink one.

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Speaking of kits, that Aaron Long Red Bulls jersey might become a collector’s item very soon.

TEAMtalk already connected him with West Ham, Nottingham Forest, and Bournemouth, as all are “looking for defensive reinforcements.” And, of course, Tom Bogert [pronounced Beaux-guerre] names those English clubs alongside the additional interest of the LA Galaxy, Colorado Rapids, and FC Dallas. However, there shall no “serious movement until after the World Cup.”

What a coincidence! I also don’t plan on moving off the couch until after the World Cup. Who cares what that nerd doctor said about my sedentary lifestyle slowly killing me?

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With the World Cup ahead, many leagues have entered an extended international break.

While Al-Taawoun is training, star attacker Kaku is away from the club due to “family circumstances.” He is expected to rejoin the club soon, reinvigorated after a long injury spell and brief return to the field. Even in a lessened state, the Argentine-Paraguayan maestro has contributed four assists in eight Saudi Professional League appearances, leading Al Dhiaab (The Wolves) to fifth in the table.

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Former Red Bull Tom Edwards was all over the media last week. Who wouldn’t want to talk to the defender? I’m sure he has plenty of things to say, even if most of the interviews are focused on his long-throwing ability.

He spoke with the Barnsley website about his move to the South Yorkshire outfit. “It took me a while to get back over here,” said Edwards. “Even when I did come back over, it took me a while to get back in the team. I was very fortunate and very grateful to Barnsley for coming in on deadline day. Obviously, I had a few talks with them before that. I just knew it was the right club for me. It was perfect timing, the right place for me to come. It’s just perfect for me.”

Now, the good stuff was from his discussion with Football Heaven on BBC Sheffield, touching on his premature departure from MLS. “I went over there the first year and, don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it,” shared the 23-year-old. “The second year around, I had a pregnant partner back in the UK. So, it was tough. Obviously, I was there for a few months, and she only [came] over for one month. So, I missed a lot of the pregnancy, but it was nice to get back in time, have the baby, and be playing English football again.”

When asked if there was anything Edwards missed about living in America, he responded with a very quick “no.” The defender enjoyed the experience and recommended young players give MLS a shot, but the siren call of returning home was too alluring. All of which is a fair assessment, I suppose.

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Mathias Jørgensen is on fire.

The former Red Bulls Designated Player cannot stop scoring and assisting in the third-tier Danish 2nd Division [Confusing!]. He has six goals and five helpers in 12 appearances, which is quite nice. Esbjerg fB tops the table with an 11-1-2 record, two points above Aarhus Fremad with a match in hand. After a few relegations, the fellas from West Jutland are on pace to earn promotion thanks to Jørgensen.

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Speaking of everyone’s favorite misunderstood Designated Player who never received a “Thank You” tweet from the club, how’s his whole thing going?

Readers will be happy to know that Gonzalo Verón is still bothering people and possibly rocking his khakis with a cuff and a crease. In this case, the aggrieved party is his former outfit, Club Atlético Independiente, with whom he remains locked in a seemingly eternal legal conflict. One executive attempted to clear the air on a variety of topics in a recent note given to La Oral Deportiva on Radio Rivadavia AM630 (“Estamos donde tenemos que estar... de tu lado” – W-NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN-B-C).

“Verón arrived in a free condition and now we are on trial for a document that he demands but does not have the methods to demonstrate what he says we owe him,” said general secretary Héctor “Yoyo” Maldonado. “From one day to the next, we managed a figure and the next day we had to see the expense increase by 70%. At the end of the year, we try to normalize the accounts. We asked the players for patience telling them that we had money that should be deposited. Some did not want to wait.”

Independiente finished the most recent season at 14th in the Argentine Primera División table. By comparison, Verón and Universidad San Martín were… relegated from the Peruvian Primera División. Maybe a return to New York could be in the cards!

Here’s a joke that was submitted by Hattie of Bridgeton.

“’Yo, yo’ is how Johnny Two-Times started his rap verses.”

Thank you, Hattie. I’m not quite sure if rap was around during the first few acts of Goodfellas.

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Do you have a story you’d like to submit to the Paper Revue? Email us at bencorkOAM@gmail.com or send a DM to @Once_A_Metro on Twitter.