The Jozy Conundrum

It seems like a lifetime ago when Jozy Altidore was banging in goals for AZ Alkmaar and coming off a hat-trick (and an assist) against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Jozy was on the move to Sunderland for his second stint in the Barclays Premier League in England for a record fee. Paolo Di Canio, the manager for Sunderland, was high on Altidore and passed up on a plethora of other striking options in favor of the American forward, and Jozy's confidence was high on the heels of eight goals in five games for the U.S. Men's National team. The future seemed extremely bright. I remember reading a headline: "Will Jozy Altidore be America's First World-Class Striker?" Ives Galarcep expected him to score 12-15 goals. I was ambitious, I wanted 17 or 18.

Then, something went wrong. He lost his touch, he couldn't score anymore, and he became the laughingstock of the BPL. He scored in the Capital One Cup early on, but besides that, nothing was going for him. It all could have been very different if his goal was not (wrongly) disallowed against Arsenal. That one goal could have sparked a run of form, but instead, his season continued to worsen. He eventually became the goat for Sunderland; fans jeered him every single time he touched the ball,  they chanted "if Jozy scores we're on the pitch," and was on many peoples' worst XI.

It is now November 2014, and the situation is as bleak as ever. In fact it has gotten much Worse. At least last year, Jozy was a starter, now he can only find the field at the end of matches. Although he has another Capital One Cup goal to his name, he has not been able to find the net in league play.

This miss is particularly bad

Clearly, Altidore needs a move away from The Black Cats. Jozy has even gone on record saying that he would have to explore a potential move if his playing time doesn't improve. With his injury during the World Cup this Summer, he lost his chance to prove to clubs that he could play at the highest level, despite his disappointing season. Jürgen Klinsmann always preaches about how he wants his players playing as much as possible, so if Jozy wants to retain his starting at spot he must find playing time, otherwise he may lose out to the likes of Aron Jóhannsson or Gyasi Zardes.

As the January window approaches, I wanted to look at some of the possible moves for Jozy Altidore.


Lille
Lille was the main suitor for Altidore during the Summer transfer window, and that interest has been sustained, making this move seem very likely at the moment.

It was reported in the last week that Lille were interested in gaining Altidore's services. They are desperate for a goal-scorer due to their poor goal-scoring record in Ligue 1 this year, despite boasting one of the top defenses in the league (they have allowed an impressive ten goals in twelve matches, but are still low in the table). There is a lot of speculation regarding this move, and the latest reports say that Sunderland may loan him out to Lille. Honestly, this seems like a great move for Altidore. Lille is notorious for developing talent (Eden Hazard, Matthieu Debuchy, Yohan Cabaye, etc.), and the French league seems to fit Jozy's play style in that it is very similar to the Dutch Eredivisie where Altidore flourished, but at the same time provides higher quality of play than the the Netherlands does. Jozy's compatriot Alejandro Bedoya has also done very well for Nantes during his time in France. All in all, this is probably the best case scenario.

Burnley

Speculation of Altidore moving to recently-promoted Premiership side Burnley cropped up a couple of weeks ago. This wouldn't be a terrible move for Jozy, because it would allow him to stay in the BPL, arguably the best league in the world. Burnley are currently last in the Premier League and have only scored five goals through ten games. They need help as quickly as possible if they wish to extend their stay in England's top flight. Jozy could be the answer. As I said, Burnley is not a horrible move, but it's definitely not a good one either. Altidore is a striker who lives and dies on service, and Burnley doesn't seem to be providing their strikers with much of that this season. If Jozy were to make a move to Burnley, it might turn out like his (disastrous) move to Hull City a few years back. I think it's time for Jozy to give up on the Premier League...for now.

NYCFC/RBNY
A move back to MLS is not out of the question either. In fact, many people believe that this is the optimal course of action for Jozy. With many of the United States' greatest stars coming backing to MLS in recent months (Bedoya might be on the way back as well), it only makes sense that Jozy might be the next one in light of his recent. He started out as a New York Red Bulls (RBNY) player, and loves New York, which is his home.

The expansion team NYCFC has also been getting some buzz. They are willing to spend a lot of money to bring in top players, and Jozy would be extremely marketable due to his status as a  national team player. Ultimately, I don't see either of these moves coming off. Jürgen Klinsmann has been very critical of Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley for coming back to MLS, and has even said that he wished Landon Donovan had done more (meaning going to Europe permanently). Jozy wants to continue to be the number one target for the USMNT and coming back to MLS would hurt his chances of keeping that role.  Jozy is still very young, a fact lot of people tend to forget, and should stay in Europe in order to develop his game further.


D.C. United
There is an outside chance that Jozy could be loaned to D.C. United. I say this because Sunderland recently formed a partnership with United. For the same reasons I said above, however, I just don't see this happening.

Back to the Eredivisie 

They used to sing Bruce Springsteen's
"Born in the USA" after each goal
for AZ

Going back to the Netherlands cannot be completely ruled out. To say Altidore thrived at AZ Alkmaar is an understatement. Just two seasons ago he scored 23 goals in the league and 31 goals in all competitions for AZ, and he was full of confidence, which translated to the best run of any striker for the USMNT. The play style in the Eredivisie seems to suit him very well. There were rumors that PSV was looking at Altidore back in January. If they still wanted his services, it would be a decent move because they are always in Champions League contention, and are in first place this year. In addition he would be playing with former AZ teammate Adam Maher and Netherlands starlet Memphis Depay. These two players would create and abundance of chances for Altidore. All of that being said, it is not as if Jozy could just walk into the PSV starting XI. Jozy needs to get playing time, and although a club like PSV would be a good fit in principle, it might not be the best move for Jozy's development. Furthermore, PSV acquired Dutch forward Luuk De Jong over the summer, making a potential move to PSV for Jozy seem even more unlikely. Although going back to a club like AZ would be tempting, playing for a club in the Dutch league that isn't Ajax or PSV is a step down from playing for a club like Lille or even Sunderland.


Stay at Sunderland
Another option that we simply cannot rule out is for Jozy to try to earn his place at Sunderland. Gus Poyet has not lost all of his faith in Altidore, as he still gives Jozy some playing time. That being said, Connor Wickham and Steven Fletcher are currently in front of Altidore in the pecking order, resulting in Altidore seeing the pitch for only about fifteen minutes every week. Wickham is looking to be England's next top striker, while Fletcher has recently found his form (he is coming off a brace). With this in mind, it seems very unlikely that Jozy would be able to make his way back in to the Sunderland starting lineup (barring an injury), so it is best for him to leave.

Jozy Altidore is honestly one of my favorite players in the pool, and I sincerely hope he can regain the form that got him a move to the Stadium of Light in the first place. He is obviously not untalented, and if he gets a fair shot at another club, his true class will show. We, as U.S. fans, have seen what he can do, and hopefully he is able to shine at a club that respects him.

What do you think? Leave your comments below.