Lion Links: 4/29/21

Greetings, Mane Landers. I hope you are all having a good week. There has been an abundance of news happening recently, so let’s get right into the links.

Orlando City Negotiating Daryl Dike Playoff Loan with Barnsley 

Orlando City is currently negotiating with Barnsley over extending Daryl Dike’s loan through the promotion playoffs. With the Reds clinching a spot in the playoffs, the side will be hoping to keep the American youngster around for its crucial postseason fixtures, but that won’t happen unless a deal is struck to extend Dike’s stay.

“Dike went to Barnsley on a free loan on Feb. 1. The 20-year-old has since scored nine goals in 18 games for the Reds. Under the original conditions of the agreement, Dike’s loan terminates on May 31, but the Lions will gain the right to recall the striker after May 3.”

The Lions are in a good position to land some sort of fee for Dike to take part in the playoffs. Oscar Pareja’s men have only scored one goal in the first two matches of the season, so demanding a sum of money is more than justified. 

“Leitão said the team isn’t set on recalling Dike, but the club feels the Lions can’t allow their top striker to play for free for a different team for another month of the MLS regular season. The CEO said the Lions could decide to recall if Barnsley doesn’t reach an agreement as early as Thursday.”

Orlando City Signs SuperDraft Selection Derek Dodson 

Orlando City announced the signing of Derek Dodson on Wednesday to a one-year contract for 2021. The deal sees the forward added to the supplemental roster, and the club will also have options for 2022, 2023, and 2024. 

“Dodson, 22, was Orlando City’s first selection (No. 8 overall) in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft. The Georgetown product left college just a couple of weeks after Hoyas (and now Lions) teammate Rio Hope-Gund departed and signed an MLS deal. Orlando City secured the No. 8 pick by trading $75,000 in 2021 General Allocation Money (GAM) and $25,000 in 2022 GAM to the Portland Timbers.”

With Georgetown, Dodson was prolific in front of goal, managing 32 goals and 14 assists in 72 matches (54 starts). If he can continue in his potent ways, City may have a future gem on its hands. If Dodson can lead from the front like he did in college, it could help the void left by Dom Dwyer, fill a hole at striker left by Alexandre Pato’s injury, and soften the blow of potentially losing Daryl Dike. 

Dike Voted Barnsley Player of the Month Again 

Speaking of Dike, the Orlando City loanee has been awarded the Barnsley Player of the Month accolade once again. After receiving 54% of the votes, Dike snapped up his second successive award. The 20-year-old was appreciative of winning the personal hardware. 

“Honored to be voted again as Player of the Month! Hoping to continue the momentum the team has had into the end of the season and then the playoffs,” said Dike. “Thank you all for your support, and I hope to see everyone soon!”

Dike could be pivotal for Barnsley heading into the playoffs. Prior to then, however, his side takes on Preston North End on Saturday and Norwich one week later to finish the regular season.

American Jesse Marsch looks set to Join RB Leipzig 

RB Salzburg manager Jesse Marsch looks set to take over at RB Leipzig. The American has been under the Red Bull umbrella since 2015, and now appears set for a new challenge.  

“Jesse Marsch, the first American to coach in the UEFA Champions League, is looking likely to be back in the competition for the foreseeable future as he’s set to become the next head coach at RB Leipzig, per Kicker. The German publication is reporting that the RB Salzburg boss, who last season became the first American to win a top-tier European trophy by claiming the Austrian Cup, is moving within the massive Red Bull umbrella once again, following his move from New York Red Bulls to Salzburg with a move to the German Bundesliga to replace Julian Nagelsmann, who is leaving for Bayern Munich.”

Taking over from such a highly rated manager in Nagelsmann may be no easy feat. It will be interesting to see how the Wisconsin-born, 47-year-old does with the side currently placed second in the Bundesliga. 

Free Kicks

• Charlie Davies says the USMNT striker depth chart has a new name at number one. The name is Daryl Dike. 
• Pedro Gallese showed off a sumptuous back heel in training. Nani would be proud.

• Marsch reportedly had interest from other suitors as well as Leipzig. 

• Manchester City secured an impressive 2-1 victory against Paris Saint-Germain away from home. 
• Spotify founder and CEO Daniel Ek is reportedly set to launch a takeover bid for Arsenal. The English side is currently owned by American billionaire Stan Kroenke. 

That will do for this Thursday’s set of links. As always, thanks for reading. I’ll catch you next week.