As you may have seen, Nigel de Jong made the move to Galatasaray amid the hustle and bustle of transfer deadline day, signing a two-year deal with the Turkish side. According to the Turkish club, there was no transfer fee involved in the deal.
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De Jong’s contract with Galaxy had him poised to become a Designated Player at the end of the campaign, taking the place of Steven Gerrard who is widely expected to retire. For that reason, Galaxy have let the tough-tackling midfielder move on. While he’s been mostly solid for LA, de Jong’s time in MLS will likely be most remembered for a pair of multi-game suspensions, including a three-match ban for a harsh tackle on Portland and U.S. national team attacker Darlington Nagbe in April. Head coach Bruce Arena and several LA players were frank in their assessment of the veteran midfielder, with midfielder Mike Magee telling reporters that “he’s not a guy we wanted to lose”.
“I am very happy to be playing in the same team as him”.
Does this seem unduly petty to everybody else, or is it just us? “He’s a victor. He’s not out there to (nut) meg people and score goals, he’s around there to cover for his teammates and make people around him better”. It has been reported that his salary with Galatasaray will be close to $3 million a year.
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“He’s a victor”, Magee continued. The former Manchester City midfielder, best known for almost kicking Xabi Alonso into orbit during the 2010 World Cup Final (and not getting sent off), has left the club for Galatasaray, only seven months after landing in California.
