LOS ANGELES – LA Galaxy general manager Dennis te Kloese shed light on the club’s decision making after the Galaxy exercised their onetime offseason Buyout of a Guaranteed Contract on Giovani dos Santos.
The Galaxy announced on Friday that they will be exercising their guaranteed buyout option, ending dos Santos’ three-and-a-half-year tenure with the club. The 29-year-old made 77 appearances for the Galaxy, scoring 26 goals and 22 assists during his time in Los Angeles.
In a conference call with reporters, te Kloese said that the decision was a tough one, but ultimately the best move for all parties.
“He’s a player with great talent and a history at the club,” te Kloese told reporters. “As I’ve discussed over numerous occasions, we were looking for the best situation for the roster and for the club that means with a lot of respect toward our players that you need to discuss these issues.
“We needed to be roster compliant and we will always be respectful to rules and regulations, and that’s something we needed to address today. It’s a difficult decision, but it’s nothing close to a personal decision, it’s just a business decision and in the best benefit of everybody and we move on.”
Dos Santos has dealt with a knee injury this preseason, but the Galaxy GM stated that issue had no impact on his decision making and reiterated that he remains “in perfect condition.”
With dos Santos off the books, the Galaxy General Manager said that the club will have added space to improve the roster and is presently scouting for new opportunities.
“We discussed the possibility of him being here with the big intention of him showing what he is capable of but in the end, it’s the best decision for all parties involved. We part ways and I think it’s done with consensus and thought about what is going forward.
“It creates a lot of opportunities to strengthen our roster and going into a direction that our coaching staff is comfortable with.”
