Disgruntled Wiltord To Take A Bite At The Big Apple?

Suspended by Rennes, it seems inevitable that Wiltord will be leaving Brittany in the next fortnight as his Breton employers cannot afford to keep such a highly paid, yet largely inactive player on the wage-bill.

A very public spat took place between the clever forward and the club in the French media at the end of last week. Wiltord claimed that head coach Guy Lacombe had deceived him regarding the role he would have in the squad this season while the Rennes management have been strangely quiet on the matter.

Inevitably with a player possessing such a calibre, there have been several reports of potential destinations for the former World Cup winner. PSG were hotly linked with the veteran during the summer but their interest has cooled while Grenoble seemingly wish to add the 34 year-old to their growing list of veterans.

New York has also emerged as a potential destination for the Paris-born player, who played 92 times for his country, scoring 26 goals. Le Parisien has claimed that the forward is closely examining an offer from the city’s MLS side, the Red Bulls.

If Wiltord was to make the switch Stateside, he would be following a trail blazed by World Cup ’98 team-mate Youri Djorkaeff, who enjoyed a successful season in the USA to conclude his career.

Major League Soccer is attracting ever-more media coverage as stars such as David Beckham and Claudio Lopez chose to finish their careers there. Wiltord would doubtless add to the calibre of the league while also regaining the first team football he craves.

Robin Bairner