Columbus Crew sell leading scorer Lucas Zelarayan to Saudi Pro League team
The Columbus Crew have reached a transfer agreement with Al Fateh of the Saudi Pro League that will send Lucas Zelarayan, one of the most talented, productive and beloved players in Columbus history, to the desert. The transfer fee paid to the Crew by Al Fateh and the salary to be paid to Zelarayan were not disclosed.
Zelarayan, 31, came to the Crew in 2019 in a transfer from Tigres UNAL of Mexico's LigaMX. He led the Crew to an MLS Cup and was named the playoff MVP in 2020. With 42 goals and 37 assists in all competitions with the Crew, he is in the same strata as Crew legends Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Federico Higuain, who established and continued the line of great Argentine attacking midfielders in Columbus.
More: See video from Lucas Zelarayan's longest goal, giving the Columbus Crew a win over Chicago Fire
Crew president/general manager Tim Bezbatchenko described the offer from Al Fateh as one he could not refuse, although he did not use those exact words.
"This is something we do not take lightly," Bezbatchenko said. "The goals he has contributed, what he means to the fans ... we're going to miss him. When he got here, it signaled a new beginning for us, and it was manifested with a championship in 2020. When the offer came, we had to consider it. We worked with Lucas on this. It made sense for him, at this stage of his career, and for the club going forward. I know fans are going to have mixed emotions. Sometimes, the right decision is a tough one."
Backed by the Sovereign Wealth Fund, Saudi Arabia has been investing heavily in sports and has been accused of using its acquisitions to clean up its image as a human-rights offender. The term is "sports washing." Recently, Saudi teams have offered hundreds of millions of dollars for Lionel Messi, who elected to transfer to Inter Miami of MLS, and Kylian Mbappe, who decided to wait a year to become a free agent. There have been rumors over the past few days that the Saudis were targeting a high-profile MLS player.
It turns out it was Zelarayan. He follows several European club stars who’ve been bought up by Saudi teams during this transfer window, including Karim Benzema, Kante and Mane. Bayern Munich received nearly $44 million to transfer Mane to Al Nassr of the Saudi league.
The Crew record for an incoming transfer fee is $7 million, which is what Manchester City paid for goalkeeper Zach Steffen. It’s fair to assume that the transfer fee the Crew received from Al Fateh was in the millions. It's important to note that the team did not use the word "record" in its press release when the transfer was announced. If it was a record, it is usual to note it in the official team correspondence.
“There are still two days left (before the transfer window closes),” Bezbatchenko said. “We still have a couple of irons in the fire and I’m hoping we can pull one of them out. We’re looking at attacking players. (The Crew roster) is an incomplete picture right now, and it might be a different picture in a couple days. I still feel like this team can compete this year. There are different ways Wilfried (Nancy, the coach) can set up now. He’ll have options.”
Bezbatchenko has never been shy about making splashes. The acquisitions of Zelarayan (transfer fee of close to $8 million) and then Cucho Hernandez ($10 million) set club records. Now, Bezbatchenko has a pile of cash, an open Designated Player slot and “a couple irons in the fire.” Can he pull it out?
Whether he does or not, this has been one of the busiest secondary transfer windows in team history. The Crew agreed to terminate the contract of Eloy Room so he could return home to the Netherlands. The Crew agreed to transfer center back Milos Degenek, who went home to Belgrade, Serbia. The Crew acquired left center back Yevhen Cheberko from Croatia, central back Rudy Camacho from CF Montreal and right wing back Julian Gressel, who has been one of the top servicers in MLS since he broke into the league in 2017.
Zelarayan leaves a gaping hole in what has been the most potent offense in the league.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew sell midfielder Lucas Zelarayan to Saudi team
