The international transfer window doesn't open until Monday, but a new report says Orlando City SC have already bid farewell to a key midfield cog.
The Orlando Sentinel reported on Friday that the club has agreed to a mutual termination with Adrian Winter, apparently for personal reasons that have prompted the 29-year-old midfielder to return to his native Switzerland.
“It's very rare when a player leaves a club that everybody's disappointed,” Orlando City coach Adrian Heath told the Sentinel. “Because the kid is really upset, and we're upset. He's been a fantastic professional. You build football clubs around people like Adrian Winter, comes in every day with a smile on his face, trains at his maximum every single day, plays at his maximum. So, for us to be in this situation where we've agreed to let him go home for his personal issues is difficult for us and it was difficult for him.”
Winter joined the Lions in July 2015 and has notched five goals and three assists in 22 MLS matches to date. Orlando is the attacking midfielder's first professional stop outside Switzerland and the Sentinel reports that his sister was due to give birth in May.
“This has been a great opportunity for me,” Winter told the Sentinel. “I’ve been able to be part of a caring organization and very enthusiastic fans. I will always cherish my time in Orlando and will miss this club, but I have to put family first. The club has been very good in working with me on my request.”
