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Josh Sargent’s move to Toronto FC from Norwich City has ended an unsavory impasse between a U.S. forward seeking a Major League Soccer move and a second-flight English club vexed by the way he went about it and in no hurry to cut a deal.
Relegated to the Under-21 squad while the saga played out over six weeks, the 26-year-old Missourian got his wish Friday when the sides announced the transfer, reportedly for $22 million, one of the most expensive acquisitions in MLS history.
“Just relief more than anything,” Sargent told Yahoo Sports, “and excitement.”
It wasn’t particularly exciting for anyone early last month when, on the eve of an FA Cup match, Norwich City coach Philippe Clement said Sargent messaged him to say he wouldn’t play because he was too distracted by a possible transfer to Toronto. That was effectively the end of his tenure — but not necessarily the immediate exit ramp he coveted. Irked by the situation, Norwich management was in no hurry to honor his request.
Sargent cited family reasons for his desire to work in North America for the first time since launching his pro career with Germany’s Werder Bremen at age 18. He and his wife, Kirsten, have three children ranging in age from 2 months to 4 years old.
“It's tough being so far away from family, when you have that many kids and don't really have much of a support system,” he said. “Kirsten and I have been gone for [many] years now. Every kid we had, we're like, ‘OK, OK, maybe it's more a possibility to go back towards home.’”
The club move also comes with an opportunity, albeit a narrowing one, to rejuvenate his national team standing before the World Cup.
U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino invited Sargent to last September’s camp but left him off the October and November rosters. With four European-based forwards finding their form this winter, Sargent’s outlook for a call-up next month — the last camp before World Cup roster decisions in late May — is dim.
Getting back into the national team mix is, “of course, a nice thought,” he said. “Anybody wants to get back with the national team — let me just say that. But with all this going on, I've been so focused on just trying to get here [in Toronto] and get started here. Of course, if you do well at your club level, hopefully that'll give you a bit better chance to get with the national team. So my whole focus at the moment is to just hopefully hit the ground running here and start scoring some goals right away.”
Sargent will have only a few matches with Toronto before Pochettino announces his March roster for the friendlies against Belgium and Portugal in Atlanta. Failure to receive an invitation next month would not remove Sargent from World Cup consideration, but he’d face long odds.
And it’s not as though Sargent’s U.S. portfolio has warranted another opportunity: Since a two-goal effort in the Nations League against Cuba in November 2019, he has failed to score in 17 appearances, including three at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The only other goals during his 29-match U.S. career came in 2018 friendlies against Bolivia and Peru and another Nations League match against Cuba in 2019.
At the moment, he is no better than fifth in the pecking order, behind Monaco’s Folarin Balogun, Coventry City’s Haji Wright, Derby County’s Patrick Agyemang and PSV Eindhoven’s Ricardo Pepi.
Toronto, though, offers Sargent a fresh start. His final Norwich appearance came Jan. 4; his 4½-year stat line showed 157 matches and 56 goals. Last season, Sargent was named Norwich City’s top player and earned a place in the league’s Best XI. This season, he posted seven goals and three assists in 23 league matches (all starts) for Norwich City, which sits in 18th place out of 24 clubs and five points above the relegation line. He also scored once in cup play.
In his Yahoo Sports interview, Sargent declined to address Norwich City matters, saying, “I prefer to leave that in the past. I'm excited to be here now. It was a big ordeal, but I'm happy it's behind us now and just really focused.”
Norwich City captain Kenny McLean told BBC Radio there were “constant questions” about Sargent’s situation.
“A couple months ago we were talking about having the best player” in the league, he said. “Then we lost him and it’s not nice for anybody. I’ve got so much love for Josh’s family. … I’ve had my say to the lads, to Josh, to the club, but that will stay in-house. It’s been difficult, of course.”
Norwich sporting director Ben Knapper said: “Josh has been clear with us for some time about his desire to leave. … We can now all move forward with a sense of clarity, fully focused on the remainder of our season.”
Having not played competitively in almost two months, Sargent will need time to improve his match fitness. (He should be in peak shape when he returns to his hometown in September to play St. Louis City FC.)
“It's been a bit of a weird last month and a half, so I'm not sure exactly where my body is,” he said. “I'm going to get into training, hopefully as soon as possible, with the guys, and go from there and see how my body reacts, see how I feel and see what will be a team decision overall between myself, [coach Robin Fraser] and the athletic staff.”
What does he see in his new club?
“Toronto reached out and explained the vision they had, this plan they had to rebuild a bit,” he said. “Everything sounded very exciting to me [and] it seems like they really know what they're doing at the moment. It made me really excited about the thought of coming here.”
Though Sargent is familiar with many MLS players, a new league will require adjustment time.
“It was tough to watch games because of the time difference,” he said. “But everyone I talked to who either plays in the league or came from MLS to the Championship, they're saying, like every year, it's getting better and better and getting very comparable to the Championship. At the moment, there's some good players in MLS right now; the level is getting better.
“I haven't played yet in the league, but I'm excited to get started and to see what it's all about.”