Even if Charlie Davies didn’t get himself onto the scoresheet for D.C. United in last weekend’s epic 2-1 loss to Chicago, he still got himself into the news afterward with what basically amounted to a request for more playing time.
Regardless of whether Davies gets more minutes over United’s final two regular season games this week in a desperate push for the playoffs, the club faces a decision this winter about whether or not to try and keep him long-term.
Davies, 25, joined D.C. United in February on a one-year loan from French club Sochaux FC, where he’s currently under contract until the summer of 2013 thanks to the deal he signed in July 2009, only months before his infamous car accident. According to MLS Players Union figures, Davies is earning a guaranteed salary of $244,870 ($184,620 base) this season.
With that loan expiring whenever United’s season ends, here’s how the options shake out as far as I can tell, via questions posed to the club and MLS:
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- D.C. can execute a buyout of Davies’ contract and retain him as a player. Keep in mind, this is a negotiation. Even if the buyout price is set at one number, that might not be the final number. Plus, all parties involved need to agree: D.C. United, Sochaux, and Davies.
- D.C. United, Sochaux and Charlie Davies don’t come to terms, and Davies returns to Sochaux. According to MLS and D.C. United, D.C. United would still retain the right of first refusal for Davies if in the future MLS, which owns all player contracts, and the player were to come to terms. In other words, Davies can’t be allocated twice and other MLS teams will have to go through D.C. United if they want to bring him in.
- D.C. can execute another loan with Sochaux. This option would certainly prevent D.C. United from having to shell out more dollars than they want to in the short term on what essentially amounts to a kind of transfer fee. At the same time, it could prevent Sochaux from having to take back Davies if they’re not ready or inclined to do so. Even though Davies has 11 goals, his form has been up and down throughout the year, which doesn’t speak to him being ready for a return to Ligue 1. If all parties believe he’s still getting better, and it would seem that his situation in D.C. this season has been a positive one, it could be simplest to simply extend the loan or execute a new loan with adjusted contributions from the two clubs.
It will be interesting to see if Davies can move his stock upward before D.C. United’s season runs out.
