No longer can the MLS by viewed solely as a cushy retirement home for ageing footballers in search of one last payday.
In recent years, the likes of Miguel Almiron, Jhon Duran, Diego Rossi, Ricardo Pepi, Brenden Aaronson and Valentin ‘Taty’ Castellanos sealed big-money moves to Europe after making their name across the Atlantic. And even the most glass-half-full FC Cincinnati fanatic would have to accept that Brenner is likely to join that ever-growing list of Major League Soccer exports sooner rather than later.
Nottingham Forest and Arsenal have checked out MLS star Brenner
You could have almost heard the sigh of relief emanating from the TQL Stadium 4,000 miles away; Nottingham Forest accepting defeat in their pursuit of 23-year-old Brenner on the final day of the January.
With the European window now closed until January, Cincinatti can breathe a little easier; safe in the knowledge that last season’s breakthrough star will be sticking around for the next few months at least.
“His season, after a stop-and-go start, was something to behold,” Nate Gilman writes for Cincinatti Soccer Talk; Brenner emphatically silencing the criticis who dared to question his £11 million price-tag.
“He went from being labelled as one of the biggest busts in MLS history to proving those doubters wrong in the span of just a few months.
“It’s more than likely that Brenner will be on his way to a club in a top-five league in the summer, but to do that, he’ll need to demonstrate that last year wasn’t a fluke.”
Nottingham Forest will likely be back, presuming Brenner disproves any nations of being a ‘one season wonder’. According to Calciomercato, Ajax, Juventus, Lazio, AC Milan, PSG and Arsenal were keeping tabs on the former Brazil U17 international during his formative years at Sao Paulo too, and a tally of 18 goals in 24 MLS starts across 2022 means it’s something of a surprise that Forest were one of the few clubs to show serious interest in Brenner during the winter.
Pick up where he left off in 2023, however, and the queue for Brenner’s signature should increase quicker than that for an ice cream van on a roasting July afternoon.
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