The LA Galaxy are moving DIFFERENT this transfer window. Under General Manager Will Kuntz, the Carson club are showing traits of a club that knows what it wants: to win.
CARSON, CA – It has been a busy week at Dignity Health Sports Park following Will Kuntz’s appointment as general manager. Having spent the second half of last season familiarizing himself with the LA Galaxy and their exigencies, Kuntz has been a man on a mission this off-season.
In the week since he became the club’s head of football operations, Kuntz traveled to Japan, appeared on a top Galaxy podcast to dispel rumors, and made trades and offers that have sparked new ones.
Just two days after we covered his promotion, signs of Kuntz’s motion were on display. On Saturday, December 9th, reports out of Japan confirmed that the LA Galaxy had serious talks with Kawasaki Frontale for right back Miki Yamane. The 29-year-old is a Japanese champion and international with experience playing alongside Maya Yoshida. Yamane has been a mainstay in Kawasaki, one of Japan’s premier clubs. He is described as an attacking-minded fullback who can break into half-spaces with his first touch and dribbling ability but prefers to break lines by combining with his teammates.
Consistency is a great adjective for both his playstyle and availability, as evidenced by his lack of an injury record, per transfermarkt.com. To Will Kuntz, these are Yamane’s most attractive qualities.
The next day, Monday, December 10th, Joshua Guesman and Kevin Baxter of Corner of the Galaxy Podcast spoke with Kuntz himself for over half an hour about the new GM’s ambitions, his working relationship with Head Coach Greg Vanney, and the transfer market. Considering how at 6:00 PM that night, just two hours before the podcast was live-streamed, the LA Galaxy announced that they traded Raheem Edwards to Montreal CF for $400k in General Allocation Money (GAM), this last topic was of special interest.
Edwards was a player who bled for the crest but his attacking ambition often left the team vulnerable. Many supporters were shocked and saddened to see such a committed member of the squad walk, while others celebrated the club cutting ties with a player they viewed as a liability. To get to the bottom of the situation, Guesman asked Kuntz to explain how Edward’s departure fits into the club’s current contract situation.
The GM replied, “Things are tight… [but] I think there’s room to add the big-ticket players that I think we need to fill out the depth chart.” Kuntz, having received $400k from Montreal unburdened by Raheem Edwards’ $347,500 salary, Kuntz has given his club almost $750k more to work with.
Kuntz was also asked about some of the transfer rumblings that were floating around at the time. Rumors concerning Atletico Madrid’s Álvaro Morata and Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette were finally shot down by the GM. Kuntz also confirmed that he traveled to Japan to scout Yamane himself, saying that “there was probably fire under that smoke.”
Following Monday night’s episode of CoG, things remained fairly quiet. This moment of peace for Galaxy supporters was short-lived, as Thursday began with the news that homegrown striker Preston Judd was traded to LA’s original state rivals, the San Jose Earthquakes. In return, the Galaxy receive a guaranteed $100k in GAM for the coming season followed by another $100k for the 2025 season, with a conditional $50k available should Judd reach certain performance metrics.
The LA Galaxy have now earned an additional $500k in GAM that they can use to prepare for the coming season. These funds will be invested into the squad right away, as evidenced by the club’s most recent moves in the market. The Galaxy have made offers for two South American players: Edwin Herrera and Ramón Soza. One of these leads has already fallen through, while the other is the latest name which has Galaxy fans dreaming of goals.
Reports early in the day indicated that Colombia’s Athletico Juniors received an official offer for left-back Edwin Herrera, but the amount proposed was not enough to convince to club to part ways with the 25-year-old. While Athletico is more than happy to be offered more money for the player, it seems as if the proposal will never arrive. Guesman’s insider sources helped him confirm that Herrera is no longer one of the Galaxy’s targets.
The other player that the Galaxy bid for on Thursday was 24-year-old Paraguayan international Ramón Sosa. CA Talleres currently owns the winger, who competes in Argentina’s Primera División. What is most surprising about this news was that, per The Athletic’s Paul Tenorio and Tom Bogert, the Galaxy submitted a club-record-breaking offer. The Galaxy have never spent more on a player than the $9.5 million paid for the services of Javier Hernandez. The club’s initial offer to Talleres exceeded this figure but was rejected. Per their report, both clubs remain in talks over the player.
Last week, we reported that supporters might see news about their club’s next star players in late December at the soonest. It seems this author underestimated the haste at which Kuntz is navigating. With him at the helm and the financial might of AEG billowing in their sails, it seems the LA Galaxy is speeding towards completing their squad and allowing Vanney to begin coaching the full first team as soon as possible.
As it stands, the club’s roster is still quite bare, but this week’s news cycle should prove that this fact won’t be true for much longer.
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