REPORT: Atlanta United acquiring Mateusz Klich from D.C. United

An interesting move...

Chris Henderson is apparently wasting no time getting to work on rebuilding Atlanta United’s roster. According to Steven Goff of the Washington Post, the Five Stripes are on the verge of trading for midfielder Mateusz Klich from D.C. United.

In return for the 34-year-old, Atlanta are sending back the No. 23 overall pick in this year’s SuperDraft and $350,000 in conditional General Allocation Money.

There are still some details of the deal left unknown. A big one is just how much of Klich’s $2.1 million salary Atlanta will be responsible for. He was acquired as a Designated Player by D.C. in 2022. While it’s pure speculation until the official details are announced, it’s extremely unlikely that Atlanta would choose to use on of their two open DP slots on him.

Klich is more of a defensive midfielder with box-to-box capabilities and an eye for a pass. Even at his older age, he was D.C.’s leader in assists last season. His profile is not too dissimilar from fellow Polish midfielder Bartek Slisz.

Assuming this deal goes through, this is a very interesting one that raises a lot of questions. How much does Klich have left in the tank? What kind of role will he play? Without a manager yet to take over, these are questions that are hard to answer just yet.

Nevertheless, the offseason is kicking into overdrive and moves are happening. We may just not be able to fully judge them until more context is given down the road.

Let’s see how it all plays out and pass judgement when appropriate.