What now for Arnaud Souquet?

Arnaud Souquet is on his way out of the Chicago Fire. That much is evident – the 32-year-old defender was left out of Gregg Berhalter's preseason squad, and given how the last few weeks have unfolded, it's obvious that he has no future with the team.

Though Souquet reported for the beginning of preseason in Chicago on January 13th, the January 14th signing of fullback Leonardo Barroso quickly weakened his standing in the first team. Barroso's arrival left Souquet as one of four right backs on the roster – a hammer blow, and two days later, Berhalter excluded him from the group that traveled to South Florida for the first phase of preseason camp.

Fullbacks Jonathan Dean and Justin Reynolds played all of the minutes as right back in the Fire's first preseason game against Fortaleza E.C., and Berhalter was asked about the status of Souquet shortly thereafter in his midweek press conference.

"We've had really open and candid conversations with Arnaud, and we let him know his status," Berhalter told media on Thursday. "We are looking to move him, and we're speaking to other clubs now and hope to find a solution soon. I know it's not easy for the player; not taking part in preseason, that's never a nice thing. But we have plans for the roster, and he doesn't necessarily fit into it right now."

If there were any lingering doubts about Souquet's status, they were erased when Barroso was handed the #2 jersey upon his arrival from Portugal – a clear signal of the club's intentions. Barroso played 30 minutes from the start in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Sporting Kansas City, and his presumptive backup, Dean, added an assist for Sergio Oregel in the second half.

Following the Fire's decision to award Souquet's jersey number to the 19-year-old Barroso, he took to social media, commenting on the team's official page, "I don't know I lost my number 2," followed by a "🤨" emoji. The Frenchman also tagged the Fire in his comment. By this point, Berhalter had already told him that he was not in the team's plans, so the comment came as a surprise.

Souquet still has a year left on his deal, and while the Fire did try to push him out before last season as well, the decision seems much more definitive this time. MLS' addition of a second contract buyout could make this process easier, though, as Berhalter stated in his midweek media availability, the ideal scenario would be to find a club willing to take him off the books. As of last season, Souquet holds a U.S. Green Card, meaning he would not take up an international slot on any MLS roster. The Frenchman recently parted with agent Mickael Chandioux, a move often indicative of a player seeking a transfer.

Should Souquet wish to return to France, he would need to leave the Fire before the closing of the European transfer window. In France, Germany, Belgium, and most other European countries, the window remains open until the 3rd of February – just a week from now. If he does not agree to a mutual termination before that point, the Fire would likely have no option but to buy out his contract, otherwise, he would be largely limited to just other MLS clubs. Several players have agreed to mutual terminations with the Fire in recent seasons, including Xherdan Shaqiri, Jairo Torres, and Gastón Giménez.

Read more:

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

https://meninred97.com/fire-sign-leonardo-barroso-from-sporting-cp/

https://meninred97.com/4-things-we-learned-chicago-fire-vs-fortaleza/