da doce： The English Football League (EFL) board has officially denied Blackburn Rovers' appeal to sign USMNT prospect Duncan McGuire from Orlando City.
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Blackburn admit "admin error" over McGuire's paperworkClub missed deadline to submit documentsEFL Board officially rejects last-ditch appealWHAT HAPPENED?
After filing a last-ditch attempt on Tuesday to the EFL board of Directors, the Championship club announced on Thursday that the transfer had fallen through. An "administrator error" occurred during the filing of the USMNT prospect's paperwork, where they clicked 'save' and not 'submit' when going over the documentation. This comes despite the club announcing his signing on social media and both Rovers and Orlando City coming to an agreement over a loan, with a view on making a permanent transfer in the summer.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT BLACKBURN SAID
In a statement issued by the club, Rovers said:
"A deal had been agreed between the two clubs on February 1st for the player to join Rovers on loan until the end of the season, with a view to making the move permanent in the summer.Despite all relevant paperwork being completed and uploaded onto the system in good time, the signed registration documents were not submitted prior to the 11pm deadline. At a meeting held earlier today, the EFL Board has upheld the decision of the EFL Executive to reject Rovers’ application to register the USA international.
"Upon comprehensive review of submissions, the EFL Board determined that the upload of documents into a draft application area did not constitute sending documents to the EFL. It also took the decision that it was not prepared to exercise discretion to permit the registration outside of the window, as the EFL Executive had correctly interpreted and applied its Regulations and associated Guidance.
"The club is disappointed by the outcome, but accepts the decision of the EFL Board. Duncan McGuire will now return to Orlando at the earliest opportunity to re-join his club ahead of the start of the 2024 MLS season. As was previously communicated by the club, Rovers will fly over to the United States over the coming weeks to try to conclude a pre-contract agreement with Orlando City, so that the 23-year forward can officially become a Rovers player in the summer.
"Rovers wish to sincerely thank Duncan McGuire and the player’s representative, as well as Orlando City and the supporters of both clubs, for their patience and understanding in this matter, which will hopefully reach a positive conclusion in due course."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
McGuire, who is being touted as the potential starting striker for the USMNT at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, is one of the hottest prospects in all of MLS. In his debut 2023 season, he earned MLS Rookie of the Year, scoring 15 goals across 37 appearances. Interest in the January window arrived from a plethora of English Championship sides, but Rovers were the most ambitious in their pursuit.
Now, after the deal collapsed, the 23-year-old is set to return stateside with Orlando City, after posing for photos in a Rovers kit, signing autographs with fans and more. It's a cruel twist of fate for the highly-rated prospect. However, the English club have stated their ambition to travel to the USA in the coming months to – again – pursue a transfer for the striker.
It remains to be seen what the future holds for McGuire, with the Olympic Games on the horizon, but for now, his focus returns to Orlando City.
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR MCGUIRE AND ORLANDO CITY?
The 23-year-old will now immediately return to Orlando City training, who have their debut competitive match of the campaign just weeks away. On February 21, they take on Cavalry FC in the Concacaf Champions League, before opening the MLS season on Saturday, February 24 against CF Montreal.