‘Cucho asked us to consider it’ – Columbus Crew GM Issa Tall reveals that Cucho Hernandez asked club to let him leave

Cucho Hernandez was the catalyst behind his move to La Liga side Real Betis, Columbus Crew GM Issa Tall revealed.

Hernandez, who struggled in England with Watford in the 2021-22 season, rebuilt his career with a move to MLS in 2022 in a $10 million move.

Hernandez elevated himself into an MVP candidate and finished his time in MLS with 44 goals and 28 assists in 70 appearances.

His sterling form saw La Liga side Real Betis make a move for him in January and Tall explained Hernandez asked the club to consider it. The Columbus GM admitted that the 25-year-old wanted to leave to play in Europe again especially with the World Cup coming around the corner.

"It's almost like a prophecy. Everything happened," Tall said to the Columbus Dispatch. "But as soon as this club came about, Cucho himself asked us to consider it, because it’s a move he wants to make. He told me the reason afterward, but I cannot blame him because it’s an offer from a club that’s arguably top six [in the league]. In my opinion, (La Liga) is top in the world, if not second in the world."

"We essentially always said no [to other teams]," Tall added. "We knew they were not the leagues that he would be interested in, despite us making [more] money − a lot more than we did on this transfer − because we knew Cucho didn’t want to."

Cucho Hernandez departs the MLS as one of the league’s best players and leaves Columbus Crew in much better shape than when he found it. The forward led the club to the MLS Cup in 2023 and the Leagues Cup in 2024, winning the MLS Cup MVP and Leagues Cup Best Player in 2023 and 2024 respectively.

He is also no stranger to Spanish football, having spent a few years there playing for Mallorca, Getafe, and Huesca.

Despite receiving the club’s largest-ever outgoing transfer fee, Columbus Crew have a large scoring hole to fill alongside the fact that Aidan Morris and Yaw Yeobah have also left in the past year. The club kicks off its first match of the season on Feb. 22, facing the Gregg Berhalter-led Chicago Fire.