"A game-changer": What Alejandro Pozuelo will add to Inter Miami 

Inter Miami CF's continued evolution wasted no time in keeping with its frantic pace as the Secondary Transfer Window officially opened Thursday.

Former Landon Donovan MLS MVP Alejandro Pozuelo was acquired in a trade from Toronto FC, with Miami adding Pozuelo in exchange for just $150,000 in General Allocation Money upfront. Pozuelo originally came to MLS in a blockbuster $11 million transfer just three-and-a-half seasons ago, from Belgium's KRC Genk.

Pozuelo, excited for a fresh start, kept the pace too. When chief soccer officer and sporting director Chris Henderson picked him up from the airport, he spoke of his excitement to join the project and insisted on joining training Thursday morning.

The locker room was delighted with the news.

“Pozuelo is a game-changer in this league," head coach Phil Neville told the media. "If you saw the reactions of our players when they found out and you speak to veteran players who have played against him, you ask: What is he like? They say he’s a fantastic player, an MVP.”

Pozuelo adds to a "young and hungry group," as Neville describes them. A group vastly different than previous iterations of Miami, which stumbled to disappointing seasons in 2020 and 2021, well short of their lofty expectations and promises upon entering MLS.

Henderson and Neville arrived ahead of last year with the huge task of completely re-laying the foundation, both culturally and overhauling a roster seemingly with little flexibility. After a frantic winter in which the front office completely retooled the squad with greater speed than expected, Miami were set well to move forward.

Under Neville, the group has become younger, much more difficult to play through and a much more cohesive unit. With that as their roots, Miami are firmly in the Eastern Conference's Audi MLS Cup Playoffs race despite a complicated salary cap situation, with assets tied up into underperforming deals and sanctions restricting some allocation money.

Now, the Herons have their first new Designated Player addition, one who they believe can add that last bit of quality to lift the team to another level.

"The perfect fit"

Miami were intent to add a No. 10 this summer with their final Designated Player spot. They long held this view and wanted to act quickly, with the Secondary Transfer Window opening on July 7.

Pozuelo became a key target, as the Spaniard came with a number of attractive qualities.

He was also available as Toronto wanted to clear a DP spot in the final year of his contract. Those conditions are why the acquiring price for Miami was so low.

“We started having some conversations in the last few weeks, but we also were pursuing other targets at the same time," Henderson said. "Going into these windows, you have to be prepared. You’re competing with other teams for the same players. There was a period we thought it wasn’t going to happen, but then it came back. We thought he was the perfect fit for what we were trying to do this year.”

Miami were linked with Mario Gotze, a target they considered but didn't make their priority before the German World Cup winner eventually signed for Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt. They also considered a younger option as well, but Pozuelo was their guy.

The 30-year-old is still in his prime, is proven in MLS and won't have to take time adjusting to the league. With Miami a few points below the playoff line and with a game in hand on rivals, that combination was important. Pozuelo won't be eligible to debut immediately though; due to previously playing for a Canadian club, he has to wait on the American visa process.

Pozuelo had 26g/31a in 88 regular-season games with Toronto. He joins with French forward Corentin "Coco" Jean. The 27-year-old was signed from Ligue 1's RC Lens last week.

“I think what’s important to say about the signings is that we’ve already got a fantastic group of players, we’re super proud," Neville said. "Pozuelo and Coco joining are two more players adding to what we think is a young, hungry team.”

After Rodolfo Pizarro was sent away on loan to Liga MX's CF Monterrey after a disappointing two seasons in MLS and with Gonzalo Higuain now the second choice behind striker Leo Campana, Pozuelo arrives with the goal of lifting the attack, adding that extra bit of quality to take the team to another level.

“Both signings have great quality," Neville said. "When you think about what is needed to be successful in this league, the final third is where the difference-makers are. You look at the successful teams since I’ve come to MLS, they have a game-changer, a difference-maker. We hope that the two signings we’ve made, along with the fantastic attacking players we’ve got, can make us more successful.”

What's next?

Pozuelo is out of contract after the season and there are not yet talks for a new deal. Inter Miami have too many moving parts to commit to that just yet, plus Pozuelo is yet to debut. That all makes the deal low risk, with the only risk potentially being the opportunity cost of using the DP spot elsewhere. That's the worst-case scenario.

Best case? Pozuelo is the snug fit Miami think he is, the group gels wonderfully and it's the start of a new era with Pozuelo pulling the strings.

“We have a few players that are out of the club right now who are still on our budget – we have to see how they play out," Henderson said. "Those decisions? We don’t know yet. We don’t know how that’ll play out, so we’ll have those discussions [about Pozuelo’s future] later in the year when we have more information.”

Julian Carranza is on loan with the Philadelphia Union, Rodolfo Pizarro with Liga MX's CF Monterrey and Matias Pellegrini just returned from a loan with Estudiantes. He was bought out in 2021 as part of the club's reshuffle from having too many DPs.

“Carranza is doing well, but that decision will come later," Henderson said. "We’re in constant contact with Monterrey, even spoke with them this morning on Pizarro. When a decision comes, they’ll reach out to us. Same with Matias. His loan ended, we’re talking to clubs on options for him as well. Those are all ongoing. Some of those will come later.”

Miami have a purchase option in Carranza, as do Monterrey with Pizarro. Miami have a club option on Gonzalo Higuain's contract for next year as well, meaning they likely could open two DP spots behind Pozuelo in the winter.

Though there will be further work to do on the revamp which was jumpstarted this offseason, Miami think they're in a good spot to do significantly less.

“I don’t think we ever want an offseason like last year where we have such a big turnaround," Neville said. "We want to have a strong foundation, and I think we do for next season, where we just need to bring in a few players. That’s what good teams do. The best teams do business in the first week, then go enjoy your offseason. What we did last offseason, hopefully sets this club up foundation-wise that we never have to do it again.”