Tobias Salquist sold to FC Nordsjælland

Tobias Salquist has been sold to Danish Superliga club FC Nordsjælland, the Chicago Fire announced this afternoon. Salquist spent just one season in MLS.

The move comes as a slight surprise after a promising but unlucky debut season in MLS for the 29-year-old center back, who was a long-term target for several years before joining the club. In the end, he made just 14 appearances in MLS, missing two months over the summer due to injury.

“We’d like to thank Tobias for his contributions to the Fire,” said Director of Football and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter. “Following discussions with him and his representatives, we agreed that a return to Europe would be best for both the player and the club. We wish Tobias and his family all the best for the future.”

Salquist's new club, Nordsjælland, is a one-time Danish champion and has regularly competed in European competitions over the last 15 years, but currently sits 7th in the league. The club is owned by the Mansour Group, which also owns MLS expansion club San Diego FC.

Significantly for the Fire, the transfer fee received was large enough that it relieves his full cap hit for 2025. An outward move via a free transfer would not have done so, as acquisition fees are counted as part of MLS teams' salary cap, and the Fire paid one to Silkeborg last season to acquire Salquist in the first place.

The move also opens both a senior roster slot and an international slot for the Fire. With just three of eight international slots filled, Berhalter and his staff will have tremendous flexibility in building the rest of the team for 2025, as they can also trade unused slots for allocation money within the league. The Fire now have seven open senior roster slots.

Salquist's departure leaves a hole at center back on the Fire's roster, however. Carlos Terán, Mauricio Pineda, and free agency acquisition Jack Elliott are the only center backs currently on the roster, and since Salquist was the team's best player in the position when healthy last season, they will likely need to sign at least one more central defender to bridge that gap. The club also remains in negotiations with Wyatt Omsberg, who is a free agent after the expiration of his Fire deal last season, but he would most likely be a backup if re-signed.

The Fire remain in the market for several other positions of need, most notably a right back, central midfielder, and winger. The recent departures of Gastón Giménez (to Cerro Porteño) and Georgios Koutsias (to Lugano) leave the club with lots of flexibility, including up to two open DP slots and up to two U-22 Initiative slots. The moves also leave the Fire in a far better position roster-wise at this stage than the team found itself at last season when officials had to work right up to the roster compliance deadline to ensure the team could be registered fully.

Read more:

https://meninred97.com/4-players-who-could-leave-the-chicago-fire-this-january/

https://meninred97.com/gimenez-fire-agree-to-mutual-contract-termination/