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As MLS teams are looking for good value in the transfer market, it seems like Premier League youth squad players are an increasingly cost-efficient option. It burns an international slot, but gives you a first-team quality player for an extremely low salary cap hit.
This is happening in a few spots in the league. Luis Binks signed for Montreal on a free from Tottenham’s academy and had 20 MLS starts in 2020.
Tony Gallagher went to TFC on loan from Liverpool on September 24, 2020 and still grabbed 5 starts and 9 appearances for the club through the end of the season.
Orlando has now picked up Brandon Austin on loan from Tottenham’s Academy. While likely not a regular starter given he’s a GK, I would be surprised if he’s not their second choice this season.
These loans benefit PL clubs the same way USL loans of academy players benefit MLS clubs, it provides the player first team minutes to play against grown-ass-men, which is crucial to any player’s development.
It also provides the added benefit for the PL club because a) MLS matches are less likely to be on opposing scout’s radar, and b) many MLS training facilities and technical support and medical staff are equal to, if not better than their PL counterparts.
These 18-23 year old PL players are also often on much lower annual salaries than their senior MLS counterparts. MLS 2021 reserve minimum salary is $63,547, 2021 Senior Minimum is $81,375. By contrast, Liverpool FC has capped initial senior contract salaries at £40k ($54,646).
Other PL clubs have created similar caps on initial senior deals. Pre-professional scholarship contracts are also capped at £3-7k per year, so if MLS teams can scout and sign players before they get their first pro deal, there’s still a lot of potential savings for these players.
