BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – The transformation of the Chicago Fire roster is well under way, but head coach Frank Yallop said he still has his eye on one more acquisition – one that will truly excite the Toyota Park fans, he said.
And that player could be headed to the Windy City sooner rather than later.
“We’re in talks with several players,” Yallop told MLSsoccer.com by phone Tuesday. “There’s one target right now that if it goes through he will be a very good player for us. Obviously I can’t say much of who he is or where he’s from, but he’s in contract and we’re hoping to get that finalized in the next couple of weeks because the season is starting.
“We’re working very hard on that, but obviously if that falls through we have options. But I feel confident that if we get this one player that he’s really going to help us out.”
Tuesday’s acquisition of Brazilian attackerGuilherme do Prado brings another intriguing name to the team’s offseason signings, bringing the number of new acquisitions to nine. With the former Southampton man’s arrival, Yallop has used up six of his eight international spots, with one Designated Player position still available.
A marquee signing would be music to the ears of Fire fans who have looked on with envy as their rivals announce big-name signings while they have failed to land an international star since the days of Freddie Ljungberg and Cuautemoc Blanco.
And while Yallop is satisfied with his signings to date, he confirmed that there will be more additions ahead of the club’s preseason trip to England.
“We’re still not finished; a lot of the signings were done before Christmas,” he said. “We’ve got a couple more to finish off, but we’re pleased with the progress we are making.”
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That progress includes the signings of strikers David Accam, Kennedy Igboananike, and Brazilian center back Adailton. And Yallop is looking forward to getting the players together for the start of the 2015 season.
“I’m excited by all the new signings, to be honest,” he said. “You never know how it’s going to work out or how they will settle in and all the things that come with a brand new team, brand new country, brand new everything. Some will settle quickly, some will take a while. But I think we’ve got some exciting guys coming in, and that’s going to be good for the fans, the club, the team and myself. I want to put a team out on the field that the fans are excited to watch.”
