Earlier this afternoon, New York City FC issued a statement announcing that star winger Gabriel Pereira transferred to Al-Aryyan in the Qatar Stars League for at least $10 million. While NYCFC didn’t make the transfer amount public, they stated that the club “will receive an eight-figure fee.” It is thought to be the second-highest in New York City’s history, trailing only the €20 million Lazio agreed to pay for Taty Castellanos earlier this week.
The winger was one of the few bright spots in what is shaping up to be one of the worst seasons in NYCFC’s short history. Gabi leads the team with six goals, and his three assists tie him for second-best. His nine goal involvements count for more than one-fourth of the 25 goals the team scored in MLS league games this season, and his six Hudson River Blue POTM performances are the most on the squad.
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Did Gabriel Pereira ask for a transfer?
The official announcement comes on the heels of rumors that Gabi was on his way out of a club that stand a good chance of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2015. Yesterday, Hudson River Blue’s Andrew Leigh reported on what was then a developing story:
Pereira has made 48 appearances for NYCFC since joining but his final one may have come in the road loss in Philadelphia, a sub appearance that raised eyebrows given its timing—Pereira didn’t enter until the 82nd minute despite NYCFC trailing the Union from the fifth minute on.
Post-match following that defeat to the Union, I asked NYCFC head coach Nick Cushing about Pereira’s late introduction (and the complete absence of Talles Magno from the match day squad), and Cushing sidestepped discussing either player or their specific situation. Seems clear now, if it wasn’t then, that there was more going on behind the scenes as it related to Gabriel Pereira than NYCFC would have liked to discuss publicly.
It is now thought that Gabi wanted to depart the club. He was NYCFC’s only consistent goal-scorer this season, and often the fate of a game rested almost entirely at his feet.
Although it should be pointed out that the 21-year-old discovered his goal-scoring abilities at New York City. The winger who notched just two goals in 43 appearances with Corinthians in Brazil’s Série A found the back of the net 14 times in 48 appearances for NYCFC. Head coaches Nick Cushing and Ronny Deila transformed a depth piece who was expected to provide service for central forwards into an attacking threat in his own right, and one of the best wingers in MLS.
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Money, money, money, money
It’s interesting to note that while NYCFC didn’t disclose the actual transfer fee, it seems to fall. somewhere between $10 million and the $22 million (€20 million) the club will be paid for Castellanos.
Or, in the words of the official statement issued by the club:
NYCFC will receive an eight-figure fee for the transfer, making it one of the Club’s highest transfer fees in its history. Additionally, the Club will receive a sell-on percentage if Pereira is sold in the future.
How big is it exactly? Hard to say. It’s larger than the reported $6 million NYCFC received for Jack Harrison back in 2018. And it’s certainly more than the reported $5 million New York City paid for Periera just last year. Is it bigger than a bread box? Yes, but it’s smaller than an aircraft carrier.
Whatever the specific amount, it seems to be good business for NYCFC. The club at minimum doubles the fee they paid last year. Between this and the Castellanos deal, NYCFC will bring in over $30 million this week (at least on paper). At the risk of sounding crass, that’s European money.
Keep in mind that it’s out of character for NYCFC to reveal their finances in any capacity. The Castellanos announcement made no mention of money at all.
Read between the lines and you see that the NYCFC front office wants their fans to understand why they made the decision to let Gabi go, and that the newly-filled coffers will presumably help the club stack a depleted squad.
Sporting director David Lee almost said as much in the official statement:
“While we’re disappointed to see him leave midseason, we understand his desire to take this new opportunity in a new league. We plan to use the roster flexibility that Gabi’s departure gives us to continue our activity in the summer transfer window and bolster our current squad to help us finish the season strongly as we head towards the playoffs.”
By the standards of the carefully worded corporate speak of NYCFC, this is like saying “Yo we made BANK, and now we’re going on a shopping spree so buckle up.”
Is this the last we see of Talles Magno?
Obrigado, Gabi
We’ll end this post with some highlights of Gabi’s very good season (so far) for a very not-great team (so far). Pereira not only was one of the best players on this NYCFC, he was the only one who seemed to perform well while wearing the orange Volt kit.
We miss him already.
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NYCFC’s official statement on the Gabriel Pereira transfer
Here is the official statement issued by NYCFC:
Saturday, Jul 22, 2023 at 02:30 PM
New York City Football Club (NYCFC) today announced that Midfielder Gabriel Pereira will join Qatar Stars League club Al-Rayyan SC.
The Brazilian Midfielder initially joined NYCFC prior to the 2021 MLS season from Brasileiro Série A club Corinthians. Pereira had an impressive first season with the ‘Boys in Blue’, scoring nine goals and providing four assists in 29 MLS appearances. He also started in the Club’s Campeones Cup victory and was shortlisted for the MLS Newcomer of the Year award. This season, Pereira has continued his strong form, recording six goals and three assists in 22 appearances.
NYCFC Sporting Director David Lee said: “Gabi made an immediate impact since joining the Club last season, and I’d like to thank him for his contributions to the team over the past year and a half. It’s been amazing to see how much he’s developed at such a young age since joining NYCFC, and I hope to see him continue his incredible trajectory.
“While we’re disappointed to see him leave midseason, we understand his desire to take this new opportunity in a new league. We plan to use the roster flexibility that Gabi’s departure gives us to continue our activity in the summer transfer window and bolster our current squad to help us finish the season strongly as we head towards the playoffs.”
NYCFC will receive an eight-figure fee for the transfer, making it one of the Club’s highest transfer fees in its history. Additionally, the Club will receive a sell-on percentage if Pereira is sold in the future.
Midfielder Gabriel Pereira said: “I made this decision with my family to continue my journey at Al-Rayyan. The Club also understood that this is a great opportunity for me, and I want to thank them for helping me with this decision.
I want to thank everyone at the Club and City Football Group for my time in New York. I have lived many incredible moments here. I’m very grateful to the Club and to all the fans for their support. The message I leave for the fans is one of gratitude for the support you have given me during my time here.”
Everyone at NYCFC would like to wish Gabriel all the best for the next step in his career.
Transaction: Midfielder Gabriel Pereira joins Al-Rayyan SC from New York City Football Club
