At least five Canadians could move to major European clubs after FIFA World Cup

Dec 1 2022, 9:56 pm

Canada might officially be out of the running for winning the FIFA World Cup, but it doesn’t mean their players will be going home completely empty-handed.

At least five players on the Canadian roster are in possible search of a new club once the January transfer window opens in European soccer.

Alphonso Davies set the standard for Canadian players with his 2018 move to Bayern Munich, a $22 million transfer back when he was only 17 at the time.

But while Davies is staying put at Bayern for the foreseeable future, at least five of his teammates could be on the move in the coming months.

Soccer transfers are the Wild West of sports transactions, and as we’ve come to learn over the years, nothing is final until that official unveiling at the team stadium.

But with that being said, here are five players on Canada that have been seeing their names in transfer rumours over recent weeks.

1. Jonathan David

Jonathan David is the grand prize when it comes to currently available Canadian stars.

While he didn’t score in any of Canada’s three matches at the FIFA World Cup, he has an uncanny knack for the net, having scored 37 goals in 90 Ligue 1 matches for French club Lille. David was the leading scorer for Lille when they won the French league in 2021, and currently sits fourth in the domestic table with nine goals in 15 appearances this season.

The Daily Mirror linked David with English giants Manchester United this past October for a January move, while he was linked with Liverpool by the Guardian in 2021. Whether David actually makes the move to the Premier League remains to be seen, but every top club in Europe likely has their eyes on the shifty Canadian striker.

2. Alistair Johnston

Canadian centre-back Alistair Johnston seems all but confirmed to be joining Scottish club Celtic FC in the new year.

Per soccer insider Fabrizio Romano, Celtic and Montreal are in a “verbal agreement” for Johnston to be on the move.

With Canada’s matches at the World Cup now over (as is Johnston’s MLS season), the move should be finalized in the coming weeks.

3. Tajon Buchanan

Tajon Buchanan’s talks for a move are still in the early stage, but the shifty winger seems destined for a larger club after impressing over the past year.

Buchanan has been a member of Belgium’s Club Brugge since Summer 2021, finishing out the 2021 season on loan to his now former MLS club in the New England Revolution.

TSN reported earlier this week that clubs in Europe’s top five leagues (England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain) “value the 23-year-old midfielder north of $20 million, and meetings are scheduled during the World Cup.”

Buchanan has been seeing regular UEFA Champions League action with Club Brugge, but could see a most prestigious role on a week-to-week basis based on if he ends up on the move come this spring.

4. Ismaël Koné

Ismaël Koné’s meteoric rise to Canada’s national team began just this past March, making his debut in a match against Costa Rica in the final international window of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.

Just 19 years of age, the CF Montreal midfielder has been linked (via Italian journalist Marco Conterio) with a move to English Championship club Watford, who currently sit fourth in the league table.

Each year, three teams from the Championship achieve promotion to the Premier League, meaning Koné could be playing in one of the world’s top leagues should he a) sign with Watford and b) stick around to help see them get promoted.

With Watford spending seven of the last nine seasons in England’s top flight, it might not be too crazy to see Koné in the Premier League one day soon.

5. Jonathan Osorio

Jonathan Osorio has pretty much done it all in North America, having been a staple of Toronto FC’s and the Canadian national roster for the better part of a decade.

He’s won the 2017 MLS Cup, while also registering 259 Toronto FC appearances in MLS along with 59 for his country.

Osorio was linked to Greek side Panathinaikos earlier this year, per Transfermarkt, while the Mirror‘s Sam Draper reported several English teams were interested in his services following the World Cup should he have a strong showing.

Nothing is set in stone, but it would be a heck of a career move for the 30-year-old Toronto native who’s well deserving of a move abroad ahead of the next World Cup cycle.

Adam LaskarisAdam Laskaris

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