RSL didn't just add one player at the transfer deadline
RSL didn't just add one player at the transfer deadline
Here's how returning forward Jefferson Savarino and incoming left back Chris Kablan can help Real Salt Lake during the 2022 season.
Real Salt Lake had slightly bigger needs to fill during the 2021-22 MLS offseason than finding attacking talent to contribute to the squad’s 2022 season.
It’s not that it wasn’t a priority; it just wasn’t the priority — at least, not before David Blitzer and Ryan Smith formally purchased the club from previous owner Dell Loy Hansen and initiated a new era of the franchise. Sorry for the spoiler, but ownership usually trumps player signings.
That late purchase meant that any new additions would likely come during Major League Soccer’s primary transfer window, which closed Wednesday.
And the club didn’t just add one player in the window — they added three. And they saved the biggest splash for last.
Following the acquisition and return purchase of forward Anderson Julio, Real Salt Lake confirmed the return of fan-favorite winger Jefferson Savarino on Wednesday, the same day as they recognized incoming left back Chris Kablan on loan from Belgium’s Waasland-Beveren — another club in Blitzer’s worldwide network of sporting properties.
“My family and I have long anticipated a return to Utah; we have great memories of the fans, the community, the stadium and of course my teammates,” Savarino said from Venezuela. “I am told that our locker room is very much together, very tight-knit, and that the Club is poised for success.
“I look forward to meeting Pablo Mastroeni and working with him and the entire staff, as my friend Damir has shared with me wonderful things. I am grateful to Elliot, the new owners and everyone who helped make this move back to Real Salt Lake happen. I am focused on scoring goals and creating excitement and doing absolutely whatever it takes to bring trophies and success to Utah.”
Savarino joins RSL on a designated player deal, becoming the third DP on the roster alongside captain Damir Kreilach and forward Sergio Cordova (Cordova’s contract can also be converted into a non-DP salary hit through a variety of mechanisms, including the league’s oft-confused allocation money).
“His starting positions that I’ve watched, his desire to take people on the dribble and create from a wider position has been really good,” RSL coach Pablo Mastroeni said. “His calmness in the final third is something that we really need, and I think will be something that will be welcome to the group.
“There are a lot of really good tacticians, but it takes a really special player to make moments where there are a lot of people in a smaller space and yet to come out with a great decision. I think Savarino has that.”
Good things take time to finish. Savarino is a good thing.
Savarino, 25, joins Real Salt Lake after three seasons with Atletic Mineiro in Brazil via the No. 1 spot in the MLS allocation ranking. The former Zulia FC product in his home country of Venezuela scored 19 goals in 80 appearances with Atletico, helping the Galos to the 2021 Serie A championship.
“I’m really excited to get a player of his quality into our group,” Mastroeni added.
The Maracaibo, Venezuela, native should join Real Salt Lake within the next three weeks, after his visa and other transfer paperwork is approved and finalized, general manager Elliot Fall said.
"Jefferson is a guy who was really impactful, really effective for us for a handful of years. That’s why he made the move to Brazil — and he’s only continued to be impactful for Brazil, and even more effective,” Fall said. “His game overall has matured and improved. Much like many players at a young age, they continue to be more effective in the final third. They continue to impact players in ways that aren’t on the scoresheet, which Jefferson did in winning multiple championships.”
Fall added that Real Salt Lake has the ability to make further moves in the summer transfer window — but noted that the club is somewhat limited in cap space. Both the contract of Kreilach and Cordova could be converted down from a DP signing, if needed, while Savarino comes in on a four-year guaranteed contract through the 2025 season with a team option for 2026, according to the team.
Much of those decisions will be pushed to the summer and the club’s standing, Fall noted.
“We have the flexibility that we can make another move in the summer window if we need to,” he said. “But we’ve certainly used a lot of cap space, too.”
Mastroeni added that Julio, who signed with RSL last week, will arrive in the club’s camp Thursday night or Friday — in time to travel with Salt Lake to Sunday’s upcoming league match at Nashville SC, though the coaching staff is still gauging his readiness following a full transfer from Atletico San Luis in Mexico.
Meanwhile, the club also signed Kablan on a short-term loan from Belgium. The 27-year-old Lucerne, Switzerland, native has played his entire career in Europe, beginning with SC Kriens in the Swiss third division to FC Thun in the Swiss Super League before relegation prompted a transfer to Waasland-Beveren in the Belgium First Division B.
In his first year in Belgium, Kablan registered one goal and one assist in 17 games played. He’s the second transfer from a fellow Blitzer-owned club to join RSL this spring, joining Cordova, who previously played for FC Augsburg.
Fellow defender Marcelo Silva, the hero of last week’s 1-0 win over the LA Galaxy, said that Kablan has been training with the club for two days and is already showing his quality — and conditioning — for a player who may be a short ways out to play a full 90 minutes.
“He’s a player with a lot of experience, and he has no doubt in doing us,” Silva said of Kablan. “He’s going to help us continue to work well together.
“He’ll have plenty of opportunities during the season to show that he can help us.”
RSL wants players who can help the team now — and ownership has shown they are willing to invest and spend to bring them in.
But most importantly, they want the players of the specific culture being built by Mastroeni. Savarino fits that culture — both when he first came to Salt Lake, and now.
“I don’t think his game has changed dramatically,” Fall said. “He’s a very similar player to when he left. But that’s what excites us, too.”