FRISCO, Texas – Will he or won’t he?
There seemed to be more questions than answers over the past 10 days as FC Dallas winger Brek Shea’s rumored transfer to Stoke City of the English Premier League went from on again to off again.
But a resolution looks to have finally been reached on Monday afternoon when it was reported that, pending a physical, Stoke and Major League Soccer agreed to a fee for the 22-year-old.
By Monday evening, Shea was on a plane headed for England, reviving a deal that looked dead in the water at one point.
READ: Stoke City boss Pulis says Shea transfer deal is close
“It really did, didn’t it?” Hyndman remarked to reporters on Tuesday about how quickly the once-dead deal was brought back to life. “He did train yesterday morning and then he didn’t train yesterday afternoon. By 4:30, I think he had a flight.”
While the Shea’s move to England isn’t a shock – he still must be granted a work permit – the way it all came about was hardly to plan. When Shea returned to full training with FC Dallas last weekend, the word out of camp was that the Texan was staying, at least until the summer.
“I thought everything was done,” Hyndman said about the protracted transfer. “And I talked to Brek, [saying] we did everything we possibly could, but it doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen.”
However, plans seem to have changed rapidly on Monday when the EPL side came back with an improved offer.
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“As a matter of fact, I was in our coaches meeting and [technical director Fernando Clavijo] walked in and asked to see me,” said Hyndman. “He said, ‘I’m flying to Europe and Brek’s going with me.’ That’s when I found out, just before practice.”
With a little more than 24 hours until the end of the European transfer window, it should be clear soon whether or not Shea’s move has finally pushed across the finish line.
“You know how it works,” said Hyndman. “It’s no different than when we talk to a player. We try to get him for as [little] as we can. We identify a player, we like a player, can we work out a deal? Well, I want this, we’re not going to give you that. Then if you aren’t going to give me that, then you disappear for a while and you talk again.”
