Image courtesy Philadelphia Union
Tuesday morning the Union confirmed a signing that had been rumored to be in the works for some time, attacking midfielder Dániel Gazdag from Budapest Honvéd FC of the Hungarian first division. Paying an undisclosed transfer fee, the Union have secured Gazdag for two years, with team options for years three and four.
“We are excited to welcome Daniel to the Philadelphia Union. He is a versatile player who can play multiple positions in the midfield as well as at striker and has the ability to make an immediate impact,” said Ernst Tanner, Philadelphia Union Sporting Director. “His aggressive style of play has made him a top finisher in the Hungarian league and a good fit for our system.”
The twenty five year old is only waiting for his International Transfer Certificate and P1 Visa to join the Union, so he could be making an appearance at Subaru Park soon. Gazdag does have six caps with the Hungarian national team, and may feature in their UEFA European Championship plans. But as Hungary has the misfortune to be in a group with Germany, France, and Portugal there is a good chance Gazdag will be with the Union for their CONCACAF Champions League semifinal matches against Mexico’s Club América.
Hopefully he’ll get a few games in over the summer before the Azteca match in order to integrate with the team. Of course, he’ll also need some rest at the end of the European season.
I think I speak for many people when I say this is the kind of signing we were hoping the club would make. Likely not a huge transfer fee even by MLS standards, but I’m guessing it was something in the US$1.5-2.5 million range after everything is factored in.
I have never seen Gadzag play a full match, but the clips and reports I’ve read have me very optimistic about his ability to fit in in Philadelphia.
$1.8 was reported by his Hungarian team
Based on all the reports and highlights this guy looks like a total scorer from the 10 position. Exactly what we need. Most of his goals are really good, not a tap in to be found. We have chips and bangers and one on ones and even a few headers thrown in for good measure.
Welcome! He comes to Philadelphia from a truly historic club. Ferenc Puskás and many other greats played there and formed the nucleus of the golden Hungarian national team that beat England in 1953. Inverting The Pyramid opens with coverage of that match and how it changed the game in England. Worth investigating.
LOVE THAT BOOK.
He looks almost too good to be true. It looks like he can do almost anything. I hope he hits the ground running.
Beyond excited. And to have the 2 more option years is just amazing business. Well done all around
So, with this signing and Paxton Aaronson in the wings what happens with Fontana now? Does Ernst cash in on him, like he did with Trusty?
Not yet. Maybe next offseason. With all the players we will lose to national team duty + the fixture congestion Fontana will get plenty of chances as the first offensive sub off the bench. He will probably even still start here and there.
Fontana makes it at forward or doesn’t make it.
Not a #10 in this system.
Maybe this guy can supply the service he & everybody up front needs.
This is a good signing and I’m happy they finally spent some money again. I like that he can play well in multiple positions because you don’t want this guy to block a promising young prospect. And you never quite know which young player is going to pop. I remember when Aaronson was temporarily blocked by Marco Fabian because Fabian couldn’t play anywhere but the #10.
I know that this is a “fluffy” non-serious soccer thing to say, but just love that a creative #10 DP has the name Gazdag. Sounds a lot like God damn!
Looking forward to saying:
GAZDAG, what a pass!
GAZDAG, what a move!
GAZDAG, what a shot!