Charlotte FC’s offseason is in full swing as multiple changes have been made and more will surely come as the Crown prepares for their fourth season in the MLS. The team began the offseason by announcing their end of season roster decisions. These decisions saw players such as Patrick Agyemang, Ben Bender, Brandon Cambridge, and Andrew Privett have their contact options exercised while Jaylin Lindsay, Junior Urso and Jamie Patterson had their contract options declined.
MLS SuperDraft: Charlotte FC would continue their offseason by adding players through the 2025 MLS SuperDraft. The Crown entered the draft with the 17th overall pick; however, they traded up to the 9th overall pick to select dynamic defender Mikah Thomas from the University of Connecticut. Andrew Johnson would be the pick for the Crown during the second round of the draft. Johnson played three seasons for Cornell. The Crown’s final selection would come in the third round when they selected forward Barzee Blama from Mercer University. These players will look to follow in the footsteps of Patrick Agyemang and Andrew Privett who are the Crown’s most well-known draft selections.
Baye Coulibaly: Charlotte’s biggest move of the offseason so far was the signing of Baye Coulibaly from NK Kustosija. Coulibaly is a very promising midfielder from Mali who gained a lot of attention after his amazing performances during the U-17 World Cup last year. These performances put Coulibaly on the map of many different clubs such as Real Madrid and Arsenal, however Charlotte FC was able to secure his services for around two and a half million pounds. Coulibaly will begin his career in Charlotte with Crown Legacy, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see him with the first team early on during the season.
Adilson Malanda Rumors: Late in December it was reported that Premier League side Leicester City and Ligue 1 side AS Saint Etienne were tracking Charlotte FC center back Adilson Malanda. It’s no surprise that Malanda's performances for the Crown have caught the attention of many clubs. Back in July, the club announced that they had signed Malanda to a new deal through 2026 with a club option for a further year. But, as Adilson continues to perform at a top level, it will become increasingly difficult to keep him in the Queen City.
Karol Swiderski Rumors: Another player who has been rumored to leave the club recently is the Crown’s first ever DP, Karol Swiderski. During his three-year stint in the Queen City, Swiderski has scored 29 goals and provided 11 assists. Last offseason Swiderski was sent out on loan to Serie A club Hellas Verona due to his desire to return to Europe. To the shock of many fans, he returned in the summer at the conclusion of his loan deal and was immediately thrusted into the team. Despite helpful performances at the end of 2024, this seems to be the natural separation point for Charlotte FC and Karol, as both parties seem keen to move forward in a new direction.
Pep Biel Returns: A deal that seems to be on the edge of being completed is the return of Pep Biel to the Queen City from Olympiacos FC. The deal will once again be a loan deal that will run into the summer of 2025; however, Pep won’t hold a DP spot on the roster. At the conclusion of this loan deal the club will have an option to buy somewhere in the range of 3-4 million USD. Biel impressed many during his short stay with the team, scoring two goals and adding three assists in nine appearances with the club. Bringing Pep Biel back on a non-DP deal will be optimal for our roster-building.
Jere Uronen Departs: The most recent piece of team news was that defender Jere Uronen was finalizing a move to AIK, in Sweden. Charlotte FC originally signed Uronen in 2023 from Stade Brestois 29 in France. Uronen brought over 60 international appearances and a large amount of experience to Charlotte's backline. Uronen lost his spot in the team once USMNT defender Tim Ream started playing left back for the team. Uronen hopes to reclaim his spot in the international team with this transfer.
Almiron Rumors: in other transfer news, Charlotte FC have been heavily linked–once again–with Newcastle United forward and MLS legend, Miguel Almiron. The club is believed to be making a strong push for the player as a DP.
Zaha Rumors: Also, the club has been linked with Galatasaray and former Crystal Palace forward, Wilfred Zaha. It will be difficult to negotiate his contract down, but if the club could sign Zaha as a non-DP, we would be starting to build a championship-caliber roster.
Charlotte FC fans can be sure that the team will look very different when the MLS season kicks off 47 days from now against the Seattle Sounders. With the MLS transfer window opening on January 31st and ending on April 23rd the Crown will most definitely add some more talent to the squad in hopes of making the next step as a team and going for top four in the eastern conference.
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