Alphonso Davies transfer signals MLS’s new selling era
Alphonso Davies, the Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder bought by Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich for $19 million, is the blueprint for MLS’s future.
Alphonso Davies is off to Bayern. He has to turn 18 first, a birthday he will celebrate in November, and he’ll get to chase a playoff berth with the Vancouver Whitecaps in the meantime, but Davies will be in Munich come winter. Given the hefty $19 million transfer fee, it’s a positive deal for everyone.
MLS’s quest to become a world-class league depends on its ability to develop a worldwide reputation, and Davies’s transfer helps that. It’s also why it was good news when managers Jesse Marsch and Patrick Vieira bolted for European jobs this summer, and why the latest MLS “.0” iteration is evolving into a selling league.
Good MLS players, usually young and hopefully domestic, moving to big clubs boosts the worldwide perception of MLS. Those transfers also generate a nice chunk of cash for use on development academies, future transfers and other productive things. It makes sense to sell young and high, and then get better and go higher for the next go-around.
Davies is the latest to benefit from this trend, followed by the likes of Tyler Adams and Miguel Almiron. He will have the opportunity to learn at Bayern’s youth and reserve sides for the second half of the European season and then, ideally, find a good spot to go on loan for 2019. The key for the Canadian is to play in a quality league every week.
Bayern are probably too good to incorporate Davies into the first team immediately. There’s no place for him, and he’s not taking Arjen Robben’s minutes any time soon. But once he turns 19 and 20? He could be good enough by that point to seriously challenge. He’s one of MLS’s most improved players already this season — Canada should be over the moon at the prospect of Davies growing at one of the world’s best clubs.
If he turns into a consistent player at a big club, it would be momentous for MLS as a league. They will have produced and profited from a top-class player. Davies isn’t Pulisic, yet, but he could be, and young players everywhere will see where he came from. They’ll want to come sign for an MLS team at 17 and then get signed by Bayern. Even better, local kids want to join their local team’s academy at 12.
It’s not MLS’s inherent responsibility to develop American and Canadian national team talent. But there’s a deep pool of players sitting in clubs’ backyards, ready to be signed to club-friendly Homegrown contracts. Teams are learning that investing in those players is advantageous, for the possibility of profitable transfers, for potential first-team contributors, for fan support. Supporters love local kids getting minutes, as proven by Mike Petke’s RSL and Wil Trapp’s captaincy in Columbus. There are significant practical benefits beyond the simple economics of selling high.
Vancouver, then, have to use the money gained from the Davies transfer well. Invest in youth academies, and then make sure the players coming through the pipeline get similar opportunities as Davies, even if they all won’t be starting for the first team at 15. Playing Davies young and helping spur his development into a Bayern-level talent will mean much less if they don’t adequately handle their profits.
Davies’s development, started in 2016 at the first team level, provides hope that the Whitecaps will wield their newfound resources efficiently. Coach Carl Robinson deserves credit. He trusted his prodigy all the way back in the 2016, and gradually increased his minutes until he became a crucial every-game starter this season.
Next: The 10 best teams in MLS history
Davies has every chance to become a really, really good pro, and much of it is his own making. He took his chance in stride when he started for the ‘Caps at the age of 15 and didn’t get a big head. From all indications, he’s a great locker room presence. He and striker Kei Kamara, 33, are buddies, and his teammates seem to like him on the field. Davies is well-spoken and should make a good impression at Bayern.
Most impressively, he has taken gigantic steps forward this season. His style of play, with his winding dribbles, long-touches and bursting acceleration, has rounded out some of the rough edges, to the point where he has three goals and eight assists in 1,500 minutes. He’s producing the final ball in the attacking third more often.
One thing is guaranteed: He’ll go right at Joshua Kimmich and Jerome Boateng in Bayern training. He’s never lacked confidence on the ball, perhaps his best attribute as a player. Davies can change the shape of games with his on-ball maneuvering and the increasingly clever passing that results from it.
The perfect ambassador for MLS’s new age.