Alba re-united with Messi - What can the Spaniard add to Inter Miami CF?
Jordi Alba has joined his former Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets at Inter Miami CF. On Thursday, Inter Miami announced that the 34-year-old left-back had joined the Beckham-owned Major League Soccer until 2024 with a club option until 2025. Most impressive, Inter Miami were able to add Alba without signing the Spaniard to a Designated Player contract. Instead, Alba is expected to be signed on a Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) deal, which will mean that his salary will be just under $1.6 million.
Inter Miami have worked hard in recent weeks to create room for not just signing Jordi Alba but also talented Paraguayan central midfielder Diego Gómez. That deal was announced late on Wednesday, with the Paraguayan signing a contract until 2027 with a club option for one additional year. The central midfielder joins the Club as part of MLS’ U-22 initiative. A transfer that was made possible because Inter Miami were able to offload Rodolfo Pizarro on a free transfer, move Leonardo Campana to a young DP spot, and move Gregore to the injured reserve list.
The financial juggling surrounding the recent transactions will unlikely end with the Alba deal. After all, Miami continues to be linked with several former European stars. But that begs the question, what can the likes of Alba add to the squad? Alba managed 24 appearances in LaLiga last season, scoring two goals and three assists. But the left-back only managed 1416 minutes overall and started just 14 games in LaLiga. But Alba did play every minute in the UEFA Nations League this June, helping Spain defeat both Italy and Croatia to win the tournament.
Jordi Alba to Inter Miami – What can he add to the MLS side?
Also, despite his limited playing time, Alba still ranked well among left-backs in LaLiga. Using Opta stats, Alba ranked fourth among left backs with 35 key passes, second with four through balls, and tenth with 1588 touches overall. In other words, despite limited playing time, the 34-year-old still produced strong numbers in LaLiga. But there is a word of caution, although without a doubt a better league than MLS, LaLiga is not as travel intensive and less physical. It will, therefore, be interesting to see how well the Spaniard can adapt to life in North America.
- Date of birth/Age:
- Mar 21, 1989 (35)
- Nat.:
- Current club:
- Inter Miami CF
- Contract until:
- Dec 31, 2024
- Position:
- Left-Back
- Market Value:
- €2.50m
- Date of birth/Age:
- Feb 15, 1994 (30)
- Nat.:
- Current club:
- AEK Athens
- Contract until:
- Jun 30, 2025
- Position:
- Attacking Midfield
- Market Value:
- €2.00m
- Total Market Value:
- €88.35m
- Competition:
- Major League Soccer
- Manager:
- Gerardo Martino
- Squad size:
- 33
- Latest Transfer:
- Matías Rojas
- Total Market Value:
- €52.63m
- Competition:
- Major League Soccer
- Manager:
- Greg Vanney
- Squad size:
- 27
- Latest Transfer:
- Carlos Garcés