TFC SPANNED GLOBE FOR TALENT
As Toronto FC supporters voiced concern over a perceived lack of off-season squad tinkering, general manager Tim Bezbatchenko — regarded now as the league’s top roster manipulator — was meeting with clubs and players and agents on multiple continents.
Player acquisition trips took Bezbatchenko and his scouting brigade to a half-dozen countries this winter in an effort to replace key departures from last year’s record-setting squad.
The biggest obstacle, he said, was the “accelerated” timeline due to the Reds reaching the MLS Cup Dec. 9 before opening Champions League play last week.
In the end, though, the Reds added a trio of intriguing players, improving a roster that already was viewed as one of the best in league history.
Bezbatchenko called it his most laborious off-season since he swapped Jozy Altidore for Jermain Defoe while working to bring Sebastian Giovinco in for the start of 2015.
“I pushed them to the limits,” Bezbatchenko said of Toronto FC’s player identification department. “For our team to come out with the players we signed we’re very satisfied.”
Dutch World Cup veteran Gregory van der Wiel was the first piece to fall into place following a courting process with Cagliari that, at one point, was complicated by squabbling agents.
“He picked up an injury,” Bezbatchenko said of van der Wiel. “It tainted the waters for the first few months after they’d paid a decent transfer fee to (Turkish side Fenerbahce).
Furthermore, van der Wiel was put off by teammates lighting up cigarettes in and around the dressing room.
“What we’re doing here matched more with his ambitions,” Bezbatchenko added.
The van der Wiel deal was confused further by a French agent who wanted in on the 30-yearold’s Serie A departure, leading to death threats against family members.
“Cagliari, from my end, was very professional,” Bezbatchenko said.
Similar disruptions are why TFC’s GM told Postmedia the Reds always take “four or five” players down to the end of every transfer or MLS signing window.
“At the last minute a big club from the EPL can swoop in and sign a player,” he said. “Until you get the player signed on the dotted line you have to keep multiple irons in the fire.”
One of those additional “irons” was Brazilian winger Auro, the simplest of TFC’s three off-season signings due to Sao Paulo FC’s previous dealings with Major League Soccer.
“Very quickly they were interested (in loaning Auro),” Bezbatchenko said of the iconic Brazilian club. “This was another example of how MLS has grown in the eyes of South America.”
The 22-year-old was well aware of TFC’s top players and reputation.
“His agent thought it would be beneficial for him to play alongside our players,” Bezbatchenko said, adding ex-TFC DP Gilberto, who played with Auro in Sao Paulo, put in a good word for the Reds.
“We hadn’t kept in touch (with Gilberto),” Bezbatchenko said. “Anytime you’re not in contact with someone to bury the hatchet you never know what they’re going to say.”
But as Auro and his agent, Bruno Serafin, told Postmedia in his first sit-down interview, Gilberto gave the Reds, the city and TFC supporters a glowing review.
By that time, whispers of Ager Aketxe’s impending arrival from Athletic Bilbao had grown louder. Bezbatchenko sealed that move in a final trip to Spain’s Basque region days before Toronto FC opened Champions League play in Colorado.
“For them, the biggest aspect of the deal was them wanting the ability to buy the player back,” Bezbatchenko said. “We agreed we’ll make sure they’re aware (of anything).”
Given Bilbao’s small player pool — the club only signs Basque players — Los Leones retained the first right of refusal to potentially buy Aketxe in the future should another team swoop in.
“We had to really cover the details and be very meticulous,” Bezbatchenko added.
“It’s a testament to our league because he knew about us,” Bezbatchenko said. “I’m not sure (all three of ) these deals get done two years ago.”