Josh Sargent joined Toronto FC from Norwich Metropolis in England’s second-tier League Championship on Friday, ending a tough scenario wherein the striker was exiled to the under-21 squad after he refused to play in an FA Cup match final month.
Sargent, 26, was signed as a delegated participant via the 2030-31 MLS season. He had eight objectives this season and 56 objectives in 157 appearances with the Canaries total
ESPN reported that Toronto pays Norwich a switch charge of $22m, which might rise to $27m with add-ons. The charge would rank as one of many largest in MLS historical past, alongside the $26.5m Los Angeles FC paid for Son Heung-min and the $22m that Atlanta United paid to amass Emmanuel Latte Lath.
“Whatever the method of his departure, Josh has been a major a part of the membership’s current story, contributing enormously and captaining the crew on many events,” Norwich sporting director Ben Knapper mentioned in a press release. “He now strikes on and we want him properly for his subsequent step, and for his future past.”
Sargent had been locked in a protracted saga with Norwich after making himself unavailable for his or her FA Cup match towards Walsall on 11 January in an effort to pressure a switch, with Toronto his first alternative. Norwich then despatched Sargent to the membership’s under-21 crew as a observe participant.
“It was unlucky how issues labored on the market, I feel,” Sargent informed ESPN about Norwich. “However I’m completely satisfied to lastly be right here, completely satisfied to get began with a brand new chapter in my life and I’m simply absolutely centered on attempting to place that behind me and hit the bottom operating right here.”
Sargent is a Missouri native who signed with Germany’s Werder Bremen in 2018 and joined Norwich three years later. A member of the 2022 US World Cup crew, he seems to be behind Folarin Balogun, Haji Wright, Ricardo Pepi and Patrick Agyemang within the competitors for ahead spots on the 2026 World Cup roster.
“He brings high-level expertise in among the strongest leagues on the planet and worldwide pedigree at simply 26 years previous. He’s a confirmed purpose scorer, with a profitable mentality and the intelligence that can lead our assault for years to return,” Toronto basic supervisor Jason Hernandez mentioned. “Josh will simply start to enter the prime of his profession whereas representing our membership and our metropolis.”
Sargent has 5 objectives in 29 worldwide appearances, scoring in his US debut towards Bolivia on 28 Could 2018. He performed in all three group stage matches on the 2022 World Cup.
However he hasn’t scored a world purpose since November 2019 and was not on the US roster for final summer season’s Concacaf Gold Cup. His final worldwide look was when he began in a September pleasant towards South Korea.
Toronto acquired St Louis Metropolis’s proper of first refusal for Sargent in alternate for $500,000 usually allocation cash over the subsequent two years and extra funds if efficiency metrics are met.
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