FC Dallas president Dan Hunt has warned MLS star Ricardo Pepi not to be distracted by talk of a potential move to Premier League giants Liverpool, speaking to Al Dia.
In an age of so-called ‘player power’, when someone hands in a transfer request, it usually only means one thing. What Pepi wants and what Pepi gets, however, may be very different.
CBS Sports reported recently that the Texas-born teenager had informed FC Dallas of his desire to leave the club in 2022 amid interest from some of the biggest clubs on the other side of The Atlantic.
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are just one of his many suitors.
Borrusia Dortmund, Inter Milan, Ajax and Bayern Munich are also jostling for position as 18-year-old Pepi weighs up a decision which could come to define the rest of his career.
But despite scoring 13 goals for an FC Dallas side who finished third-bottom of the MLS’s Western Conference, Hunt is convinced that Pepi will still be leading the line when the new campaign begins in late-February.
“Definitively, I expect Ricardo to be back next season with us,” the Dallas president says of his £9 million-rated talisman.
“Ricardo needs to play and keep scoring goals. By playing next season in Dallas, Ricardo can help us win a championship, he can help the national team qualify for the Qatar World Cup and then play in that World Cup.”
Should USA star Ricardo Pepi be wary of Liverpool move?
Hunt has a point.
Playing week-in, week-out at the Toyota Stadium will do Pepi’s hopes of a regular starting berth for the USMNT no harm at all with the World Cup just 12 months away.
Pepi, who’s been likened to Robert Lewandowski, has hit the net three times in just six senior caps already.
“(USA coach Gregg) Berhalter and other head coaches around the world have shown that if players aren’t participating in their clubs, they’ll be excluded from their respective national teams,” Hunt points out, highlighting the risks that accompany joining a club like Liverpool.
“Ricardo’s future is incredible and shining, but I think the best Ricardo can do for his career is continue his process (in Dallas). He’s still very young.”
Pepi’s agent appears to have different ideas.
Jaime Garcia said in November that the teen sensation was ready to leave the MLS behind. A move to Europe – a la Christian Pulisic or Weston McKennie – would work wonders for his development, he believes.
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