Keepin' It Real was able to learn some additional details surrounding the return of Fabian Espindola. First of all, I was able to confirm from a second source that a deal is in the works and they are just waiting on paperwork to be finalized. The source also confirmed that the intention is to try to have him back with the club by the end of April. Here are some new details that have emerged:
- Espindola became available when his Venezuelan club, Deportivo Anzoategui, "quit paying him". No explanation on what exactly that means, however, apparantly it is somewhat common in South America that clubs will run out of funds and be unable to pay players.
- Espindola will not be coming on a "free", but the initial vehicle will be a loan arrangement. However, KIR has learned that there is a buyout after this year, and this time it is "a reasonable amount".
- A roster spot will need to be freed up to make way for Espy, but that does not need to be dealt with before he arrives and has his physical. It is believed that either a player will be loaned to a USL side or a senior roster player will be moved to a developmental spot.
- As James Edward reported, the deal was only possible from a salary cap standpoint because of restructuring Luis Escalada's deal. RSL was very fortunate in this regard, because Espindola and Escalada have the same agent and this made it possible to get this done.
- This is not a sign that the team does not have confidence in Escalada. In fact, the team is quite high on Escalada's abilities, and anxious to see what he can do in an MLS match, but the team needed additional depth and the opportunity arose for Espindola.
