What you need to know about Atlanta United's ambitious bid for Emmanuel Latte Lath
The Five Stripes could break the MLS transfer record again.
Atlanta United’s revamped front office looks poised to once again put the club atop the MLS transfer record book. According to Tom Bogert and several other outlets, the Five Stripes have made an official offer to Middlesbrough to sign striker Emmanuel Latte Lath.
The report states that Atlanta’s offer approaches the $20 million mark with add-ons included. If a deal were to come to fruition, it would once again put the club atop the league’s incoming transfer fee list, topping FC Cincinnati, who paid over $16 million for Kevin Denkey this offseason.
GiveMeSport’s Ben Jacobs claims that Latte Lath is open to a move to MLS and is Atlanta’s top target to fill their striker needs.
The biggest obstacle remaining for this transfer to be completed is Middlesbrough accepting Atlanta’s bid for the player. That might not be as simple as we might hope as Boro is fighting for a promotion spot and Latte Lath is integral to those efforts. There is also reportedly competition from other clubs around England who have interest in signing him as well.
On paper, this seems like a good fit for Atlanta who desperately need a reliable goal-scorer to lead their attack. While Latte Lath isn’t a household name in world soccer, he certainly possesses the talent and skillset to thrive in MLS.
All we can do is wait and see how Boro respond to the offer. If they are willing to part ways with him for the right amount of money, then perhaps we’ll soon see a new DP joining Atlanta United. For now, it’s up to the two clubs to come to an agreement before anything else can move forward.
I would love to see this happen but I don't know if Middlesborough would pull the trigger. They're fifth in the rankings behind an impressive offense (Tied for second with 43 goals scored) that's slightly overachieving (Second at 41.1 xG) and an OK defense (Sixth at 26.6 xGA) that has been unlucky (Tied for 10th with 32 goals allowed). Considering they're barely in the playoff position and he's their leading scorer, it makes no sense to sell. Unless he wants out or there's something behind the curtain that we don't know, I do not understand why they would make this move unless there's an other-worldly amount of money, comparatively speaking.
A Josef-like nose for goal, but a couple inches taller and with significantly more pace. Let's do this.