After being acquired by Toronto FC following a lengthy departure from his last club, Josh Sargent was as "relieved" as he was "excited."
"Very excited to get started and very happy to be part of the TFC family now," Sargent told reporters during his introductory press conference with the team on Wednesday.
Toronto signed the 26-year-old as a designated player (his transfer fees and salary may exceed the salary cap) through the 2030-31 MLS season, bringing him back to this side of the pond after he spent five years with the EFL's Norwich City.
Sargent racked up 56 goals in 157 appearances with the Canaries, including eight this season.
His time in England ended on unceremonious terms, however, when the American was essentially relegated from Norwich City's first team after he failed to make himself available for an FA Cup match last month.
"A lot of twists and turns, and it was definitely a long process and a lot of emotions behind it, but just the biggest sense of relief that I'm finally here ... it's been a great first few days here," Sargent continued.
Sargent, a native of Missouri, has also represented the United States internationally, including at the 2022 FIFA world cup. He's got five goals in 29 international appearances for Team USA since his debut in 2018.
"A lot of this came down to (Sargent's) commitment to wanting to be here," TFC head coach Robin Fraser said on Wednesday. "We feel very fortunate and very excited to have someone of Josh's calibre here ... fits the bill for us in a lot of ways, he does just about everything you need a forward to do."
"We're tremendously excited to integrate him in."
Now, he joins a TFC team which has committed to a roster rebuild in recent months, right before its 20th-anniversary season, notably moving on from former designated players Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi last summer.
"We've started a family, and I think the thought of getting a bit closer to home got more and more appealing," Sargent said. "When Toronto specifically reached out and started talking about their plans ... it got me very excited and that's exactly why I'm here today."
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