Is Andres Guardado worth the wait for Atlanta United?

It seems as if we’ve heard rumors of Andres Guardado coming to MLS - and Atlanta United for that matter - for ages. The initial reports came out in late May courtesy of ESPN’s John Sutcliffe, with the PSV Eindhoven and Mexican star confirming the club’s interest in him in November. But no such offer or no further movement on the front has been made thus far.

Now, it looks like the move may very well be dead in the water. Mexican sports reporter Raoul Ortiz tweeted a quote from Guardado’s agent, former Mexico midfielder Mario Ordiales, stating that PSV has shown “total refusal” when it comes to letting Guardado go to MLS. Ortiz also tweeted that PSV considers Guardado a cornerstone for the club and that interest for his services has come from not just MLS, but from other European clubs as well - potentially looking to drive his client’s value up.

This puts Atlanta United in a tricky position. If they continue their pursuit of Guardado, which would be their third designated player, the risk is that Guardado would mail it in due to the situation he would be leaving at PSV. PSV ended last season as Eredivisie champions for the second year in a row and are currently in third after seventeen matches. At the same time, Guardado is a excellent talent that would make any MLS team better. On the other side of the coin, though, there may be several other designated player options on the table right now, so AUFC can opt to instead fill their third DP spot with someone else and let the Guardado situation rest.

For my money, the latter option may be the best scenario for AUFC right now. If Guardado had wanted to come here, he probably would have been here already. But with PSV dead set on keeping him in the fold and showing “total refusal” to let him leave, it’s time to put this one to bed once and for all.