Alejandro Bedoya - Deal Agreed (now official)

[Zappa 0]

why would it be him? he has 9 goals in 62 games for the swedish club? or am i missing something here.

 

We don't know the full story as to how Orebro have been playing him, what positions etc, but he's played in 11 of their 17 league games so far this season and scored 4 goals in his 11 appearances. I can't say for sure, but it looks to me as though they might have been playing him in a very forward/attacking midfield role recently because I saw a Swedish article referring to him as a 'forward' even although he's classed as a midfielder.

 

Does anyone know how much our bid was for him that was rejected? With so little time left on his contract it shows you how much the Swedish club value the player if they're rejecting hard cash to keep him for another few months. From what I can tell from searching around he's regarded by some of their fans as the best midfielder in their squad.

[Stimpy 0]

Article from June on the lad:

 

Bedoya is breakout player of Gold Cup

 

PASADENA, Calif. -- American winger Alejandro Bedoya got quite the surprise a few weeks ago. In spite of regular call-ups to the national team, in which he showed very brief flashes of promise, he'd been left off the Gold Cup roster. Even Freddy Adu, whose career was still hurtling into the abyss, was included on the roster for the tournament.

 

So Bedoya, the 24-year-old New Jersey native who bolted for Orebro in Sweden rather than enter the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, did the next best thing. He booked a holiday to Barcelona with his girlfriend.

 

But on the eve of the United States' jam-packed June, in which it had scheduled a friendly against Spain and faced up to six Gold Cup games, U.S. midfielder Benny Feilhaber injured his right ankle in a game for his New England Revolution. Bedoya was called to report to the national team. Holiday cancelled.

 

But since the second game of the group stage, Bedoya started getting significant playing time and making fruitful substitutions. In the quarterfinals against Jamaica, he became a starter after Landon Donovan returned from a wedding the morning before the game. Bedoya performed so well that Donovan -- the team's superstar and best-ever player -- was kept out of the starting lineup for the semifinals. Now, for Saturday's final, there's every chance that Bedoya will retain Donovan's old slot on the right wing, forcing coach Bob Bradley to find somewhere else to deploy Donovan.

 

A talented but ineffective player for the national team until now, Bedoya has been a real spark plug. He's also the only American winger with a tendency to stay wide. In so doing, he's created room in the center for the likes of Clint Dempsey and Sacha Kljestan. Pairing well with veteran right back Steve Cherundolo by tracking back and devoting a lot of energy to closing down his turf, Bedoya has also helped made the right flank an unpopular route for opponents.

 

And for that, his teammates love him.

 

"He's been great," said goalkeeper Tim Howard. "We love his energy, his commitment; he gets up and down. He's kind of wiry and a bit awkward in a way. He wins a lot of headers, but is not the biggest guy. He wriggles past people, he's crafty, he's diligent on the defensive end, he pushes forward. He's been a boost for us."

 

"He's been a good addition," said Bradley. "His energy, his movement -- I think he's been sharp with the ball."

 

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Assessing his own contribution, Bedoya thinks his energy has been the key to his game -- and the impetus for helping the U.S. turn the corner after a bumbling start to the tournament. "I think what we were missing the first couple of games in the group stage was to start the game off on the right note -- with the intensity and everything," he said. "I think I'm able to do that and I think it helps us get a better game overall, that we start with the fast pace and impose our game on the opponents."

 

But he, too, has been taken aback by the net contribution he has made.

 

"I was quite surprised," said Bedoya. "If I'm going to be quite honest, of course I was surprised. I didn't see it coming. I obviously wasn't included in the original roster, and to come in here and to do this? I definitely wasn't expecting that.

 

"It's kind of been ... I dunno, whatever you want to call it, a coming-out party I guess?" added Bedoya.

 

But the rest of the national team saw it coming.

 

"We've known about him for a while," said Cherundolo. "He's nothing new to me, I see him in practice every day."

 

"I think he's maybe not the surprise, but the breakout-player of the tournament," said captain Carlos Bocanegra. "Every time he's come into this camp he works hard, he's pushing it, always fighting for a starting position. He was always right there."

 

With Bedoya finally winning a starting position and making a real impact for the national team, there's really only been one victim: Bedoya's girlfriend, who missed out on her vacation.

 

"She's very understanding," Bedoya said with a smile. "From the moment we started dating she knew what my career was going to be like and that these things can happen. She's been a great sport."

[Frankie 8,665]

Seems like a Naismith type of player to me. Looks pretty good and the potential is certainly there.

[Waltersgotstyle 307]

Hopefully we can agree a fee before the end of the Transfer window

[Gazza_8 233]

"She's been a great sport."

 

I'm sure she loved being called "a great sport".

[Frankie 8,665]

Info from an American chum on Bedoya:

 

Scrappy winger, mainly deployed on the right (though Orebro used him in the middle a lot). Was a late call-in to the US Gold Cup squad and was considered the breakout player for us (he'd had a few caps prior to that but didn't really claim a spot). Lots of work rate, helps out his teammates. Generally stays out wide as opposed to drifting in.

 

He's got some skill going forward (9 goals in 62 appearances for Orebro), but he might be better suited in more of a defensive winger role (to use FM terminology). Did a good job shutting down opponents' left side in the Gold Cup.

 

Kind of wiry, so I'd be a little concern about possibility for injury. Also he's way off the requirements to get a work permit. (I think he's at only about 20 or 25% of possible international appearance, though that should go up to around 50% when January rolls around)

[Zappa 0]

Now that he's signed a pre-contract, perhaps his club may let him go now for a little sweetner of, say, �£200K.

 

It seems unlikely BD. His club refused an offer of 3 million Swedish Kronor from us, which is just under �£290k.

 

http://na.se/sporten/fotboll/inspark/1.1293094-osk-avstod-tre-miljoner

[ian1964 10,761]

Maurice Edu has told Rangers fans they can expect quality and excitement from new recruit Alejandro Bedoya when he arrives at Ibrox in January.

 

The United States international has agreed a pre-contract with the Scottish champions and will make the switch to Glasgow when his contract with Swedish side Orebro expires.

 

As his team-mate in the national side, Bedoya is a player that Edu knows well and the midfielder has do doubts that his fellow American will be a worthwhile acquisition.

 

Edu said: "He's a good player. He is an attacking winger, he likes to get forward, get at defenders, and he's a really lively player.

 

"I think it will be exciting to see him play and he will definitely strengthen the squad and add a little bit of quality."

 

Edu was more than happy to give Bedoya the lowdown on Rangers but says his sales pitch was not necessary.

 

He added: "I speak to him quite a bit and I was with him the whole summer.

 

"I talked to him before he signed. I told him about the crowds, the European nights, the Old Firm games - everything.

 

"I gave him a heads-up but he knew about it beforehand anyway and he is excited and looking forward to getting here."

 

Rangers begin the defence of their Scottish Premier League title against Hearts at Ibrox on Saturday.

 

Despite the earlier than usual start date to the season Edu believes all the players are ready for the new campaign.

 

He said: "I've only just joined recently (following the Gold Cup) but the rest of the boys have put in a good shift and worked hard to prepare for this moment.

 

"We have had some good results in the last couple of games and everyone looked lively and sharp in training today. We know what's at stake in this first game and everyone's up for the challenge.

 

"Like the rest of the guys, I know how important this first game is and we want to start off strongly like last season."