TFC Notebook: Why extending Richie Laryea's loan deal is best-case scenario for Toronto FC

According to Paul Taylor of The Athletic, who covers Nottingham Forest, it’s reportedly likely that Richie Laryea’s loan deal from the Premier League side will get extended – and that’s best-case scenario for Toronto FC. Plus, Lorenzo Insigne is starting to lead by example and although TFC are just three points out of a playoff position, they’re standing may be worse than it appears.

It’s time for another TFC Notebook! A new notebook will be released every weekend throughout the course of the 2023 Toronto FC season, featuring news and updates from training during the week, exclusive interviews, tidbits and more. It's supported by NorthStar Bets, so if you're interested in responsible gaming, please check out their special welcome offer.

Without further ado, let’s dive in.

Extending Laryea’s loan deal – and not making it permanent – makes the most sense for both TFC and Forest

The time has arrived.

Toronto FC, Nottingham Forest, and Richie Laryea have a decision to make. As things currently stand, Laryea’s loan deal will expire at the end of the month and he will return to the Premier League. However, the expectation is that the deal will get extended, which makes the most sense for both Forest and TFC.

From Toronto’s perspective, they’re able to keep Laryea at the same salary and budget charge ($1,276,745), which is key for a team that’s cash strapped.

Had they swung a deal to make the move permanent, Toronto would have to re-negotiate terms with Laryea, who has two years remaining on his current contract. Given that the 28-year-old defender has been the club’s best and most valuable player this season, he likely would’ve demanded a raise.

Plus, Toronto would have had to pay Nottingham Forest a transfer fee to re-acquire Laryea permanently, and it’s fair to assume that Forest would be looking to recoup close to the $1 million that they dished out to sign Laryea last January from Toronto.

Not only would TFC have to fork over a transfer fee, but more importantly that fee would also be tacked on to Laryea’s new salary budget charge.

For example, if Toronto FC paid a $1 million transfer fee to Forest and then proceeded to sign Laryea to a new four-year contract, an extra $250,000 ($1 million / 4 years) would be added on to Laryea’s salary to make up the new salary budget charge.

Even if they didn’t give him a raise (which again is unlikely based on the way he has played this season), his new hypothetical budget charge would be $1,526,745. That would be more than any TFC player not named Insigne or Bernardeschi and only $86,000 less than the maximum Targeted Allocation Money amount ($1,612,500), also known as Designated Player territory.

Extending Laryea’s loan deal makes sense for Toronto given that they’ll only be on the hook for his salary and not the transfer fee. It also just *might* allow the team to make an addition this summer.

For Forest, meanwhile, extending Laryea’s loan by an additional year buys them time and a bit of security.

NFFC were promoted to the Premier League for the first time since 1998-99 last season, and they barely were able to stay up, collecting 11 points in their last six games to seal their top-flight status next season.

If they were to get relegated in 2023-24, they’d lose several players, including former PSG and Tottenham right-back Serge Aurier, whose loan deal was made permanent on Friday after Forest triggered a 12-month contract extension.

Steve Cooper may not believe that Laryea’s good enough to play in the Premier League, but having the Canadian international in their back pocket – on a relatively cheap deal while Toronto pay his salary – is a nice bit of assurance should they go down to the EFL Championship.

Laryea would be the only party that stands to lose.

Although he’s happy to play in his hometown, he won’t get the salary increase he probably would like for playing another year in MLS — and he doesn’t get the opportunity to fully live out his dream of playing in a top league overseas. Still, he is the highest-paid fullback in the league and has a good shot at representing TFC at the MLS All-Star game against Arsenal next month.

No deal is yet to be confirmed as there’s no update on Laryea’s current situation, according to Bob Bradley on Thursday.

Lorenzo Insigne is starting to “lead by example”

Speaking to reporters following Wednesday’s 0-0 draw with the Chicago Fire, Richie Laryea was asked how he’d evaluate Lorenzo Insigne’s performance over Toronto’s past two matches.

“I think he's always been good but in particular, last game and then leading into this game, he's running more than most of us on the field now, which is good,” said the TFC defender. “We need him to be doing stuff like this. We need him to be very impactful…”

Last weekend, Insigne put in his best performance in a Toronto FC shirt, assisting both of the Reds’ goals in a 2-1 victory over D.C. United.

But beyond the goal contributions, it was Insigne’s body language and work rate that really stood out. The Italian put in a relentless shift. He then followed up Saturday’s performance with another workman-like 90 minutes, despite being held off the scoresheet in Wednesday’s draw with Chicago.

“We measure the physical load of every player, every game, and Lorenzo has pushed himself hard in these last two games,” said Bob Bradley. “He’s trying to lead by example, and I think everyone can see.”

Insigne’s skill and playmaking ability has never been in question. Rather, Bradley’s challenge has always been to try and keep the Italian international engaged and bought-in to being a leader with the Reds.

Over these last two matches, we’ve seen that buy-in.

Coincidentally, Insigne’s resurgence has come on the heels of Federico Bernardeschi’s outburst and The Athletic’s bombshell of an article. Perhaps Bradley owes Joshua Kloke, Tom Bogert, and Paul Tenorio a bit of thanks for helping to light the fire under his star Italian.

Following last Saturday’s victory over D.C. United, Insigne said: “We needed the three points. We're glad that we won. It was a very difficult week. A lot of things were said about the club and about us, but it was really important for us to stay together and to work hard and to continue working hard.”

As Bradley mentioned on Thursday, Toronto needs their big players leading by example, and there’s no one that’s bigger (or paid more) in TFC’s dressing room than Insigne.

“(Leading by example) sets the tone for young guys,” said Bradley. “That helps the team feel confidence even if it’s going through a difficult stretch. I think Lorenzo, as he said, understands the league better and has shown a real commitment to try to find a way to make a difference in this last stretch, and I think everyone recognizes it and sees it as being very, very important.

As the TFC head coach and sporting director touched on, Insigne admitted that he didn’t “expect MLS to be as difficult as it is,” but one thing that he may have learned is just how great the physical demands are in MLS if you want to be an impactful player, week-in, week-out.

For Kobe Franklin, seeing the decorated Italian leave it all out on the pitch these past two games has a ripple effect.

“I think it gives everyone that extra push knowing that someone of his calibre and quality is doing the dirty work as well,” the 20-year-old homegrown defender said.

The question now becomes: can Bradley keep him this engaged, and if so, will Insigne be able to handle the physical demands of MLS week after week?

Are TFC in an even worse position than it seems?

Toronto FC have left points on the table far too many times this season, and Wednesday night’s 0-0 draw with the Chicago Fire was just the latest example.

Facing a Chicago side that had collected just one win in its last eight and one win on the road this season, three points were there for Toronto’s taking. Given the events that transpired the week prior and on the heels of Saturday’s victory, a win would’ve been a massive result for Bob Bradley’s side.

Instead, they were forced to settle for a good performance – dominating every facet of the match except for the one that mattered: the scoresheet.

“I’m pissed in the sense [that] we didn’t get the three points and we fully deserved it. With everything going on, it was almost perfect for us to get another big win at home, but it didn’t play out like that…” Laryea said post-game.

Bob Bradley agreed.

“Tonight is a night where you had enough chances to win,” Bradley said, adding: “It’s a frustrating night if you create that many chances, don't give too much away and you can't take three points.”

Leaving points on the table has become a worrying trend for the Reds this season.

All four of Toronto’s scoreless draws this season (at San Jose Earthquakes, at Nashville SC, vs. New York Red Bulls, vs. Chicago) one could argue that Toronto FC were the better team and could’ve taken more from those matches.

Four times this season TFC have also taken leads in matches only to concede a second-half equalizer (at DC United – 3-2 L, at Atlanta United 1-1 D, vs. Columbus Crew 1-1 D, and vs. Charlotte FC 2-2 D), again leaving valuable points on the table.

And then, of course, there’s the late-winner TFC conceded in Austin, which ultimately led to the outburst from Bernardeschi.

“We’ve been tested,” said Bradley at the BMO Training Grounds on Thursday. “We’ve been tested just on the fact that we’ve had a lot of close, tight games where we certainly could’ve taken more points than we did. We’ve had a lot of days where we don’t give much away, and overall we play alright, and we don’t create enough, and I’ve said over and over that our margin becomes really small.

“And then when you add in the injuries, it just means that now yes, you look at everything, and you know that points-wise, you’ve left many behind.”

Wednesday’s result not only stings that much more knowing what the team is trying to overcome, but also because of what’s to come.

Up next for Bradley’s side is a trip to Minnesota, their first encounter since 2019, and the road hasn’t been kind to the Reds since Bradley has taken over.

The Reds have just two wins from 24 away matches over the past two seasons combined, though the TFC manager says he’s liked the way the team has approached games away from BMO Field this season.

“We have had a good mentality when we've gone away, we have been hard to play against, we have not given away as much but now the same ideas that got us more chances in [Wednesday’s] game, we got to have the confidence when we … go to Minnesota that we are going to play can create more chances like that again,” Bradley said.

After Minnesota, the team will return home where they’ll face a surging Nashville side, who are unbeaten in their last six matches and second in the Eastern Conference table.

An 11-day break will ensue due to the international window before TFC wraps up the month with a pair of tough trips to Eastern Conference-leading FC Cincinnati and then to the turf at Gillette Stadium to take on fourth-place New England Revolution.

And then it may get even worse.

TFC will have the Gold Cup to contend with (June 24 – July 16) where they could be slated to lose several key figures to international duty, including Laryea (if TFC do indeed extend his deal), Jonathan Osorio, Mark-Anthony Kaye, and goalkeepers Sean Johnson and Tomás Romero. Deandre Kerr, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, and Ayo Akinola were also named to Canada’s 60-player provisional roster on Thursday.

If Canada or the United States go on to make a deep run at the tournament, TFC could be missing key players for up to five matches (at New England, vs. Real Salt Lake, at Orlando City, vs. St. Louis CITY, and at Chicago).

All this to suggest that although TFC are only three points out of a playoff spot, they’ve left too many points on the table throughout the first half of the season to give them any sort of cushion heading into what will likely be a tumultuous stretch of games.

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Added Time: News and Notes

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– As expected, Toronto FC (+280) are heavy underdogs for their away match vs. Minnesota United (-114) Saturday night. That being said, the Loons only have one win at home this season (1W-4D-1L), averaging 0.83 goals per game at Allianz Field.

– Five of Toronto FC’s next six matches will be on TSN.

– Jonathan Osorio (MCL Strain) is making progress. The Canadian international has been doing some running and dryland work on his own and is expected to be integrated back into “some kind of training” next week, perhaps even full training. The Canadian men’s national team play their Nations League semifinals on June 15 vs. Panama in Las Vegas. Osorio’s status for that match is still up in the air.

– Shane O’Neill (leg) is still “a few weeks away” from making his return, while Victor Vazqez (foot) is back in Toronto after undergoing a procedure in Spain that will see him miss a few months.

– Ex-TFC CB Lukas MacNaughton is enjoying life in Nashville. With Walker Zimmerman sidelined due to injury, the 28-year-old defender has started each of the Coyotes’ last six matches in all competitions, scoring in their 2-1 victory over Inter Miami CF on May 18. Nashville is unbeaten (5W-1D-0L) since Zimmerman went down injured and MacNaughton has stepped in.

– Speaking of former Toronto FC players, Alejandro Pozuelo has been heating up in Turkey. The Spaniard, playing the No. 10 role for Konyaspor, has registered three goals and two assists in the club’s last five matches.

– Toronto FC has been fined an undisclosed amount by Canada Soccer for “failing to comply with the safety and security standards” demanded by their Canadian Championship quarter-final vs. CF Montréal. Videos went viral of fights in the stands between Montréal and Toronto supporters at BMO Field, leading to the investigation.

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