News and notes from what has been a busy week for Toronto FC…
What’s up with Defoe?
Toronto FC on Thursday announced that it has allowed striker Jermain Defoe to train with his former club Tottenham Hotspur.
The weeklong training period began today.
Defoe is coming off an injury-plagued 2014 season in MLS, and underwent off-season groin surgery. TFC players don’t report to camp until later this month, so this is a good opportunity for Defoe to train and stay fit.
Don’t read too much into this development, though. Spurs have a history of letting MLS players train with them during the off-season, including Robbie Keane and David Beckham. This isn’t an indication that Defoe is set to move to White Hart Lane on a permanent basis.
That being said, TFC is actively shopping Defoe around, trying to create a bidding war in hopes of unloading him before the January transfer window closes.
There’s been speculation in the English media about a possible loan deal for Defoe if Toronto can’t sell him. But a team source told Sportsnet that TFC is fully committed to recouping the majority—if not all—of the reported $10 million transfer fee it originally paid Spurs for Defoe.
If an English team is looking to get Defoe on the cheap, they’ll be disappointed. With that in mind, don’t expect anything to get done until closer to the end of the January transfer window as Toronto tries to squeeze every dollar they can out of any possible transfer deal.
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Vanney further ensconced
Also on Thursday, Toronto FC announced the hiring of Robin Fraser as an assistant coach.
Fraser has plenty of MLS experience, having played 10 seasons for the Los Angeles Galaxy, Colorado Rapids and Columbus Crew from 1996 to 2005
He was head coach of Chivas USA from 2011-12, when current TFC manager Greg Vanney was his assistant. The two were also teammates in LA early on in their playing careers.
Sceptics will view this as the Reds hedging their bets—having a replacement ready to go should Vanney fail in 2015 and get the axe.
If anything, Fraser’s arrival means Vanney is here to stay. This is a Vanney hiring, and the fact he’s being allowed to build his coaching staff means he’s becoming further ensconced within the organization.
Fans screaming for Vanney to be shown the door will be disappointed. GM Tim Bezbatchenko is going to give Vanney plenty of time, and barring an Aron Winter-type start to the 2015 season, Vanney won’t get fired at the first hint of trouble.
Neely returns to the Reds
On Tuesday, the Reds announced the hiring of Stuart Neely as coach of the TFC’s senior youth academy team, and assistant coach for its new USL Pro club.
This is Neely’s second stint with TFC having previously served as director of the team’s youth academy.
This is another smart hire by TFC. Neely is held in high esteem within the Canadian soccer community, and is noted as being someone who is passionate and committed about developing young players in this country.
It’s interesting to note that six academy players made the jump to first team during Neely’s first tenure with the TFC’s academy.
There’s still no update on a new TFC youth academy director. Greg Vanney previously held the position and was handling both jobs when he took over as coach last summer.
In December, GM Tim Bezbatchenko said they are considering a number of candidates for the director’s job, and hope to hire someone by April.
John Molinaro is Sportsnet’s chief soccer reporter. Follow him on Twitter
