Portland Timbers make additional moves during transfer window
By admin - 2019-01-07 01:07:26

The Portland Timbers already announced a huge move Monday as they traded longtime forward Fanendo Adi to FC Cincinnati for at least $850,000 in allocation money. However, the club has not completed its roster moves.

The Timbers are planning to execute additional moves before the Secondary Transfer Window closes next week on August 8th, a source confirmed to OregonLive Monday.

With the departure of Adi, Portland may seek after the addition of proven depth at the striker position. Behind starting forward Samuel Armenteros, the Timbers have four players that could slot into the 9th role in Dairon Asprilla, Jeremy Ebobisse, Foster Langsdorf, and Tomas Conechny.

Asprilla has played at the striker position this year, but is primarily a winger and has not scored in MLS play this season. Ebobisse and Langsdorf have spent the year on loan with T2, not factoring into the first team. Conechny, who the club acquired on loan earlier this month, has yet to make an appearance for Portland and it is unclear what his best position in the attack will be.

The Timbers also have an open Designated Player spot with the departure of Adi. Portland could look to fill that slot before the end of the transfer window or wait until the offseason to make a Designated Player signing.

Notably, the club has to make a decision about what to do with Argentine winger Lucas Melano, whose loan to Argentine club Estudiantes de la Plata recently expired.

The Timbers signed Melano as a Designated Player in 2015 but sent him on loan following the 2016 season after he failed to live up to expectations in Portland. Melano has shown promise while on loan.