PURCHASE, N.Y. – On Wednesday, reports out of Spain claimed that Juventus and Italian World Cup star Andrea Pirlo was set to sign with New York City FC.
On Thursday, NYCFC head coach Jason Kreis was asked about it and declined to add fuel to the speculative fire.
“We aren’t ever going to want to comment on potential summer transfer signings,” Kreis told the media at the club's training facility. “We’re always going to be in those rumors, so I don’t think it does us any good to speculate.”
Kreis did say, however, that the expansion team fully plans on filling its third Designated Player spot this year. The club already has two DPs on the books, Spanish striker David Villa, who has been with them all season, and English midfielder Frank Lampard, who will join the squad this summer.
“We have the third Designated Player slot," Kreis said, "and it’s been our plan all along to fill that, to have three DPs this year.”
And the roster additions will likely go beyond another DP, Kreis said. With NYCFC struggling through an 11-game winless streak heading into Saturday's clash with the Philadelphia Union at PPL Park, the club plans to be active during the summer transfer window.
“We always had in the back of our mind that we might need to make some additions in the summer,” Kreis said. “We’re there. We’re thinking that we’ll probably have to make some additions in the summer. We obviously have a third Designated Player slot available, so that’s one for sure. We know Lampard is coming, and so there’s work to be done.”
One potential addition is former US international defender Oguchi Onyewu. After being released by English Championship side Charlton Athletic last month, the 33-year-old has been training with NYCFC for a little more than a week.
However, Onyewu, who has 69 caps with the USMNT and played in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, picked up a knock during training on Tuesday and is currently sidelined pending test results.
“Two days ago he picked up an injury that was odd, and I believe we’re giving some testing done on that today,” Kreis said. “Not quite sure what it is as of yet.”
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As a result, Kreis said he didn’t want to discuss the possibility of Onyewu signing with NYCFC.
“I don’t think it’s worth speculating,” Kreis said. “I think it’s unfair to everyone involved. Obviously he was doing well enough, otherwise we would have sent him away already.”
