USMNT's Ricardo Pepi's Premier League move to Fulham collapses on transfer deadline day, per reports
Fulham would have reportedly paid PSV a transfer fee of roughly $44 million, but the Dutch side was unable to line up a suitable replacement in time
U.S. men's national team forward Ricardo Pepi will stay at PSV for the rest of the season, with a proposed move to Fulham failing to come together despite the two clubs agreeing a deal before Monday's transfer deadline, per reports.
Fulham agreed to pay a transfer fee of roughly $44 million, according to Fabrizio Romano, while Pepi had agreed to personal terms with the London-based club. The Cottagers reportedly improved upon previous bids for Pepi's services, the most recent of which came in at $38 million, according to ESPN. The Pepi deal, though, was always contingent upon PSV's ability to line up a replacement for the 23-year-old, who has 11 goals and two assists in 22 matches across all competitions for the Dutch side, and they were unable to do that before the end of the transfer window on Monday.
For Fulham, Pepi could have pitched in with their attacking operation in the short-term after losing forward Rodrigo Muniz to a hamstring injury in November and selling Adama Traore to West Ham United in January. In the long-term, Pepi could become a central figure of their attack if Raul Jimenez leaves on a free transfer next summer.
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In the meantime, the player will focus on his return from injury. Pepi broke his arm while scoring in January during a 5-1 win against Excelsior and is expected to be out for roughly two months. He could miss the USMNT's final international window in March before head coach Mauricio Pochettino names his World Cup roster in late May, with Pochettino admitting that it is too early to say when exactly Pepi will return to the pitch.
"We'll see with Ricardo," Pochettino said in a press conference last week. "I think we'll see how he's going to come back and start to play and to perform and of course, he's a player that is on our radar, Ricardo. Hope that he can be fit and I think we have time to assess and of course, we are going to make the best decision for him and for us."
How risky is a move before the World Cup?
Though Pepi will no longer make the jump from the Netherlands to England, he would not have been the only USMNT player to change clubs this winter if his transfer to Fulham went through. Defender Alex Freeman recently transferred from MLS' Orlando City to Spain's Villarreal, making a major move in the months before the World Cup, something that comes with inherent risks. Pepi is already familiar with the downsides -- his pre–2022 World Cup move from FC Dallas to Augsburg proved disastrous, contributing to his absence from the U.S. World Cup roster. Over two seasons with Augsburg, he appeared in just 16 matches and failed to score. A 2022–23 loan to Groningen revived his career, as he scored 13 goals in 31 games, earning a move to PSV ahead of the 2023–24 season, where he has since produced double-digit goals each year.
Regular minutes at the club level are a prerequisite for cracking one of Pochettino's rosters and will likely be taken into extremely serious conversation as he makes his picks for next summer's tournament, which means any players on the move may have to hit the ground running to ensure they isarein the best possible position to perform at the World Cup. That is especially true for Pepi, who could theoretically carve out an important spot in the USMNT's attack.
Monaco's Folarin Balogun seems like Pochettino's preferred starter in the No. 9 position but the head coach has a few options to pick from, a list headlined by Coventry City's Haji Wright and Ricardo Pepi. They are not alone in the depth chart, though – Derby County's Patrick Agyemang has become a contender despite only earning his first cap a year ago, while Josh Sargent will hope to be in the mix. (Sargent himself may also be on the move before the window closes on Monday, attempting to force a move from Norwich City to Toronto FC, though playing time is not the reason for his push to join the MLS club.)
Pochettino, though, has a more positive perspective on transfers during the winter window.
"For me, always, it's positive," Pochettino said. "When you change, it's because you are convinced you are going to be in a better place than the place that you are, no? And I think that is why, always, I am very optimistic, I'm very positive in all the moves … All the coaching staff, we need to support our players and always because it's too many things that can happen around. It's always being supportive and [to] give the confidence that the decisions they are going to make are the best decisions. That is why I am not worried, I am not concerned about if some players are going to move in that transfer window because always, what I expect [is] the best thing."
