Sebastian Giovinco spent four seasons with Toronto FC, proving to be a vital part in the club’s MLS Championship in 2017. (Flickr/Gaurav Kumar)
Joey Congi
Former Toronto FC star Sebastian Giovinco criticized management in a social media rant after his transfer to the Saudi Arabian team Al-Hilal.
The full details of the deal are still unknown, but it is reported that Toronto FC will receive $2 to $3 million for the striker, who some say is the best player in the club’s history.
Although there have been rumors about the deal since last week, it still came as a surprise to Charlie O’Connor Clarke, editor-in-chief for the online media outlet Waking the Red.
“It’s kind of a shock,” Clarke said. “It’s understandable but definitely disappointing to see such a great player’s time in Toronto end like that.”
Giovinco seemed to be unhappy with how Toronto FC dealt with the transfer, voicing his displeasure with management in a lengthy Instagram post late Wednesday night.
“I was hoping to renew my contract and finish my playing career in a city that feels like home,” Giovinco wrote. “It seems management prefers to focus on things other than the pure desire to win.”
“Players use social media to speak without a filter of media relation teams,” Joshua Kloke, Canadian soccer writer for The Athletic and author of the book Come On You Reds: The Story of Toronto FC, said. “Giovinco is an incredibly honest player.”
Clarke thinks these comments are nothing more than just sour grapes, but there may also be a problem that needs to be addressed with management.
“There’s probably cause for concern, which they only have a couple weeks now to fix,” he said.
Just over a week ago, reports surfaced that right back Gregory van der Wiel was sent home from training camp after an altercation with head coach Greg Vaney. This prompted an Instagram post from van der Weil, saying goodbye to the fans and city while also voicing his complaints with Toronto FC management.
“I just want to win no matter what the consequences are,” van der Wiel said. “I guess that mentality was a little too much for them and they decided they do not need me for this season.”
Clarke said it is definitely concerning to see so many things go wrong in a transfer window, but sees why some of the tough decisions have been made.
“A lot of the moves they made have made sense, they just probably have been kind of cold and impersonal and it kind of led to some fan-favourite players getting shipped out of town,” Clarke said.
Kloke said management appears to be shifting towards a more youthful team, which could explain the transfer of 32-year-old Giovinco.
“TFC are trying to transition to a younger squad,” Kloke said. “The idea that they had to keep Giovinco doesn’t play with me.”
Kloke said he expects Toronto FC to start the search to replace Giovinco, among others, very soon.
“They have to start adding if they want to field a competitive roster,” Kloke said. “You have to start adding players now just to keep the fanbase happy.”
Clarke said that Toronto FC is already expected to bring in a few players, including a high profile signing, but they must act quickly.
“They have said already that they have players coming in, including, apparently, a big name player coming from a big club coming in from Europe,” Clarke said. “They have two weeks left here until Champions League to turn things around and restore some faith from the fans because it’s not a great look at the moment.”
Kloke said that for now, fans will want answers after the sale of Giovinco and are curious to see what will happen next.
“You just sold the best player in club history. What comes next?” Kloke asked.
The four seasons Giovinco spent in Toronto were the most successful in franchise history. Clarke said this marked the end of an era for the football club and Giovinco has left quite the impact.
“He is absolutely, without a doubt, the best player in club history and possibly the best player in league history.”