Let’s just say, there probably won’t be any big moves this summer to get worked up over.
The summer is in full swing, at least in Texas with the temperatures hitting the 90s on a regular basis now. FC Dallas players had enjoyed some time off during the start of the international break but have all now come back to training this week with head coach Nico Estevez and his staff to prepare for the full summer slate of games ahead.
In his weekly media call, Estevez touched on a number of topics, one being the healthy of the club during this break (everyone is good to go, which is rather impressive), to Alan Velasco getting to return home for a bit and then bring his family to Dallas as he came back to training.
But the big discussion as the summer calendar gets going is always surrounding the transfer window. FC Dallas made a lot of transfers in the winter window to prepare for the 2022 season and with the summer window set to open soon, the club isn’t expecting to make any big additions just yet.
“We’re always looking at how we can improve the team,” said Estevez. “But to improve the team, we know the standards are high right now. To bring someone in, it has to be someone that can help the team jump to the next level in quality and help us perform at a different level.
“It is not easy to do. There are some restrictions on the budget and maybe for us, it is worth it to wait for next season instead.”
Estevez also said that adding additional players right now may not be needed thanks to the health of the roster. Without any long-term injuries at the moment, the urgency to add to the roster isn’t there at the moment like it has been in previous seasons.
The one move that we can probably expect, may very well be in goal. Estevez explained that technical director Andre Zanotta is actively working to extend the loan of their young keeper Maarten Paes into a full-time move.
“This is something Andre is working with his former club,” said Estevez. “I haven’t heard anything officially but I know there is conversations. It is also timing. If you know a little bit about how Europe works with the transfer window, until June 30th, people don’t rush about things. We have that time and I don’t think we will rush. I had a talk with Andre the other day and he is in contact with the club and they are probably preparing everything to sell.”
So while he didn’t have an exact update on when Paes would see his loan extended into a long-term stay or even a transfer, it does sound like we’re getting closer to that point.