Lorenzo Insigne Inks Record-Deal with Toronto FC

Toronto FC is coming off its 3rd worst season in franchise history. With 6 wins and 18 loses, the club finished 13th in the Eastern Conference. In comes Lorenzo Insigne. As a main fixture of Mancini’s roster at the 2020 European Championship, he is expected to play a big role in Italy’s 2022 World Cup campaign. With such a resume, it is hard to believe that his boyhood club did not offer to raise his €4,2 million contract that was set to expire this summer. Other than Toronto FC, it is reported that Tottenham Hotspur had also made an offer to Insigne; it is safe to assume that it did not come close to €11.5 million per year. To put things into perspective, this record-deal will see Insigne earn approximately $13 million (USD) + $5 million (add-ons) for the next four years; LAFC’s Carlos Vela will become the second highest paid player in MLS, earning $6.3 million per year.  

Toronto FC is currently going through a rebuild. Former head coach Chris Armas was hired in 2021 and fired only 11 games later. At the onset of his hiring, TFC fans were already apprehensive regarding the former New York Red Bulls head coach. Their fears were unfortunately validated when the team lost 7-1 to DC United back in July. In a surprising twist, after being sacked by the club, Armas was hired by Ralf Rangnick as an assistant coach for Manchester United. Replacing him is the experienced Bob Bradley who will be responsible for restructuring the club, serving as both the Head Coach and Sporting Director.

Long time TFC fans have gone through many rebuilds but this one is unique. Between 2014 and 2019, head coach Greg Vanney, and general manager Tim Bezbatchenko oversaw the most successful years of the club. It first started with the “Bloody Big Deal” era. The slogan was attributed to the signing of Premier League striker Jermaine Defoe in 2014. The following season, Defoe returned to England after the club failed to qualify for the playoffs; but Michael Bradley remained. The AS Roma midfielder was signed on the same day as Defoe; at the time he clearly was an after-thought, yet he became one the most important players in TFC history.

The following season, Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore were acquired by the club. Giovinco took the league by storm, accumulating 22 goals and 13 assists in his first season. His year was capped off by winning the MLS Golden Boot and MLS MVP award. It is also impossible not to mention his 74th minute goal vs New York. Only 24 hours prior, Giovinco was playing in Italy’s Euro qualifier against Norway. After securing the victory at the Stadio Olympico, Giovinco got on a plane and landed in Toronto on matchday. His goal was not only an incredible individual feat, but it also secured Toronto FC’s first playoff berth in history.

In 2017, the club added midfielder Victor Vasquez to the mix and the rest was history. That year, Toronto FC had arguably assembled the best MLS roster of all time. The whole team was clicking from the veteran players to the young Canadian contingent of Jonathan Osorio, Raheem Edwards, Jordan Hamilton, Ashtone Morgan, and Jay Chapman. Toronto FC went on complete the first domestic treble in MLS history, the club won the Canadian Championship, The Supporters’ Shield and their first MLS Cup. Only a few months later, Toronto FC was competing in the CONCACAF Champions League Final where they lost to Guadalajara on penalties.

Over the years this roster was dissembled for various reasons. In 2019, general manager Tim Bezbatchenko departed the club to become president of the Columbus Crew, and a year later Greg Vanney accepted a head coaching job with the LA Galaxy. Under the new general manager Ali Curtis, Sebastian Giovinco was sold to Al Hilal after both parties failed to agree on a new deal, Jozy Altidore was briefly excommunicated from the club after a spat with Armas, and overall, the club’s culture was on steady decline. But there were some bright spots, in 2019 the club acquired midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo; they made it to the MLS Cup final before unfortunately losing to Seattle. In 2020, Toronto FC nearly won the Supporters’ Shield before slipping to 2nd in the overall standings. The 2021 season simply unearthed many issues the front office had failed to address, and it ultimately concluded with the departure of Ali Curtis.

The pieces that are brought in to complement Lorenzo Insigne are going to be important. Toronto FC is a few players away from being a complete team, however, there are core pieces with which we can build. The roster features the 2020 MLS MVP Alejandro Pozuelo, Congo international Chris Mavinga, team Canada’s Jonathan Osorio, a talented group of young players comprised of Ayo Akinola and Jacob Shaffelburg to name a few, and the captain Michael Bradley. Richie Laryea is unfortunately missing from this list because he is expected to sign a contract with Nottingham Forest. His departure is a bitter-sweet moment for both him and the fans, because as a Toronto native he had previously expressed that a move to Europe was a dream of his. The club was keen on keeping him and reportedly offered a new four-year-deal nearing $1 million per season; this would have made him the highest paid fullback in the league.

We can expect many more roster moves from the front office, Jozy Altidore or/and Yeferson Soteldo are most likely on their way out; rumors have been swirling regarding the potential acquisitions of Domenico Criscito, Andrea Belotti and Carlos Salcedo. Furthermore, the Giovinco situation remains unresolved. Amidst his contentious contract negotiations, it is hard to deny Giovinco’s love for this city. After departing the club in 2019, the Italian has visited BMO Field more than once. When speaking with the Toronto Star, Giovinco expressed that he would accept not being a designated player for one reason,

“It’s not nice to be the best player on the field and not be designated player but I close one eye for TFC.”

Major League Soccer only permits three designated players per club, this enables teams to purchase players outside the $4.9 million league salary cap.

Critics of the MLS have argued that Insigne’s move could hurt his chances of competing with Italy in the upcoming World Cup. This criticism is not unfounded. When Pirlo and Giovinco were left off Italy’s roster for the 2016 European Championship, Antonio Conte expressed that competing in the MLS played a factor in their omission,

“We evaluated (Pirlo) and Giovinco, it’s normal that if you choose to go and play there then you can pay the consequences in footballing terms.”

It is hard to compare that situation to Insigne’s, being that he just won the EUROS with Italy, and Mancini is the head coach rather than Conte. Also back in 2014, Julio Cesar secured a loan from Queens Park Rangers to Toronto FC which allowed him to get match ready for the 2014 World Cup. Cesar had fallen out of favor at QPR but remained Brazil’s #1 keeper under Luiz Felipe Scolari. If Insigne has had a conversation with Mancini regarding his move to Toronto FC, then there is not much else he can do other than perform. Regardless, Italy must first make it through the final stages of World Cup Qualifiers before making that decision.

After the EUROS, the streets of Toronto and Woodbridge were filled with Azzurri Fans celebrating their victory over England. Italy’s performance at the European Championship marked their return to the world stage after failing to qualify for the World Cup in 2018. With Insigne coming to Toronto, BMO Field will be the place to be next summer and I am sure that ticket prices will reflect that. President Bill Manning promised “big moves” in the off-season, signing Lorenzo Insigne fulfills that promise but the job is far from finished.