Bernard Collignon, agent of midfielder Jean-Philippe Gbamin, told amNewYork on Thursday that the collapse of his client’s deal with the New York Red Bulls was not because of a failed medical.
The Red Bulls had entered an agreement with the 28-year-old Ivorian in late July — more than two weeks before Major League Soccer’s Aug. 14 transfer deadline. Yet shortly after the calendar flipped to August, the deal fell through. A source with direct knowledge of the situation told amNewYork that it was because of a failed medical, which other outlets later confirmed.
Collignon, however, told amNewYork that Gbamin felt uneasy about signing a three-and-a-half-year deal with the MLS club, which included the team controlling the option of the final year of the contract.
“In Europe, a player signs a contract with a team and not a league, so this was the first weird thing,” Collignon told amNewYork. “The second is that an option in a contract according to FIFA rules is not unilateral anymore. Now it has to be agreed by both parties but in MLS, it’s unilateral so they don’t really respect the FIFA rule. He did not feel like being locked in a three-and-a-half-year contract.”
The Red Bulls declined to comment on Collignon’s claims when amNewYork inquired.
Gbamin has made 16 appearances for the Ivory Coast national team and had spent the 2023-24 season with Dunkerque, which plays in Ligue 2 — the second-tier of French soccer. A four-year stint with English Premier League side Everton was marred by injuries and included loans to CSKA Moscow in Russia and Trobzonspor in Turkey.
Following the dissolving of the deal for Gbamin, New York pivoted and brought on Uruguayan midfielder Felipe Carballo — who most recently played for Gremio in Brazil — agreeing to a deal on the final day of the MLS transfer deadline.
As for Gbamin, Ouest-France reported on Tuesday that he is preparing to sign with Ligue 1 side, Nantes.
