:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49788813/GettyImages-453776786.0.jpg)
Atlanta United want to make a splash in MLS and American soccer. That much is guaranteed. You don't spend $60 million on just a training facility if you're planning on coasting by in mediocrity once you enter the league. They have big plans for their entire franchise.
A huge part of making the first-team successful will come from player acquisition. Who the club acquires will go a long way in projecting their image to the masses.
A report surfaced on Monday that claimed the club has been in contact with the agent of former Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner. If you're a hardcore soccer fan you likely know at least some about 'Lord Bendtner' and his exploits. With the Gunners, he scored 24 goals in 108 appearances, but he was known more for his off-the-field antics than his on-field talents.
He was once accused of drunkenly threatening a taxi driver and then exposing himself and rubbing up against the car. After his Arsenal career concluded with him moving to Bundesliga side Wolfsburg, he again ran into issues that saw him get banned from his own team's training sessions for undisclosed incidents.
The point is, Bendtner is a headache. He's got talent on the field, although it's debatable how much. He managed just three goals in three years at Wolfsburg before they finally terminated his contract a year early.
This is not to say he's a complete lost cause as he's proven that he can score goals at any level. Here he is notching a hat trick against the United States national team last year:
The problem with Bendtner has always been consistency and his aforementioned antics. The Danish striker could very well end up being a useful and productive player for any team that signs him, but the risk involved in signing him, especially for a fledgling franchise such as Atlanta United, just isn't worth it.
Perhaps if he agreed to a bargain deal that doesn't take away a DP slot it could make some sense, but you'd still be taking the huge gamble that he might do something embarrassing off-the-field or become a problem in the locker room.
United have grandiose plans of world domination. Adding Nicklas Bendtner to their blueprint would be like bringing a bottle of Absinthe to the Catalina Wine Mixer.