Last year’s European summer transfer window delivered seismic moves for some of US soccer’s biggest names, as Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah joined Milan and Timothy Weah signed for Juventus.
There have been no such headline-grabbing deals for American players on the other side of the Atlantic this year, but the 2024 summer window still offered plenty of intriguing storylines.
Some players secured timely transfers that could help them catch the eye of the soon-to-be-appointed Mauricio Pochettino and boost their hopes of figuring prominently at the World Cup on home soil in two years’ time; others who were expected to make a switch stayed put, potentially to the detriment of their international ambitions.
Here are our takeaways from the summer window.
McKennie’s summer saga
Last season, Weston McKennie enjoyed his most productive spell with Juventus since joining the Italian side from Schalke in 2020.
The 26-year-old midfielder, who had been loaned to Leeds in the Premier League for the second-half of the previous season, started 29 Serie A games and registered a career-best seven assists, toggling between a series of roles.
Yet it seemed for most of the current transfer window that McKennie was set for an exit from the 36-time champions of Italy. He was initially lined up to be a makeweight the deal that took Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luis to Juventus from Aston Villa. When the swap didn’t happen and the Turin club instead signed Luiz in a straight deal, McKennie was reportedly close to joining Fiorentina.
But against the odds, McKennie has remained with Juventus after winning over new manager Thiago Motta. He has even extended his contract through to 2026. McKennie’s next challenge will be solidifying role in Motta’s starting lineup.
Tessmann’s chance in France
Tanner Tessmann was one of the stars of Venezia’s promotion-clinching campaign in Italy’s second tier last season. The powerful central midfielder showed real growth in his game in his third year with the Venetian club, scoring a career-high seven goals while only missing one game.
It was never likely that the 22-year-old former FC Dallas player would represent Venezia in Serie A this term, though. Entering the final year of his contract with the side he joined in a $3m deal in 2021, he was linked with a switch to reigning Italian champions Internazionale for much of the summer – with the plan being for him to return to Venezia on loan for a season to gain some Serie A experience.
The Inter move didn’t materialise, but Tessmann secured a $7.8m switch to Lyon, the French club owned by American billionaire John Textor. He becomes the first American player to represent the Ligue 1 side. If Tessmann can carve out a key role at a major club within one of Europe’s five biggest leagues, he will soon add to his two USMNT appearances.
Reyna stuck in limbo
No Europe-based USMNT player needed a move this summer as badly as Gio Reyna. The 21-year-old playmaker has fallen so far from favor at Borussia Dortmund that he was loaned to Premier League strugglers Nottingham Forest for the second half of last season.
And he fared no better with the English side, making just two starts, failing to score and providing just one assist. After following a path furrowed by Pulisic, emerging at Dortmund as a 17-year-old, the midfielder looked destined to be a future star at Signal Iduna Park, starting 23 games in the 2020-21 season.
But through a combination of injuries and poor form, Reyna has started just 11 league matches for Dortmund since that breakout campaign. So far this season, he’s totted up just 10 minutes of league play. He has remained a key figure for the USMNT throughout his struggles, starting all three games at the 2024 Copa América, but it remains to be seen whether Pochettino will overlook his lack of playing time.
Aaronson making amends
Brenden Aaronson was the subject of boos from Leeds United supporters during a pre-season friendly against Valencia last month after the USMNT midfielder tried – and failed – to engineer a move away from the club.
A £24.7m signing from Red Bull Salzburg in 2022, Aaronson started brightly at Elland Road, scoring in a 3-0 demolition of Chelsea in just his third appearance for the Yorkshire club.
But he didn’t score again in 40 outings and, after Leeds were relegated at the end of the season, he signed for Union Berlin on loan for the 2023-24 term.
The energetic American player put in a mediocre campaign in the Bundesliga, scoring just two goals and starting less than half of his 30 appearances. Although he expressed a desire to remain at the club on a permanent basis, Union swiftly confirmed they would not be keeping Aaronson once his loan ended.
While Leeds lost several stars this summer after falling short in their bid for promotion from the Championship, Aaronson has remained. And he has already begun to make amends with the fanbase, showcasing his trademark all-action style and scoring twice in his first five appearances of the season.
He’ll need more of the same if he is to rebuild his status within the USMNT. Once seen as a pillar of the national team’s future, Aaronson featured in just four minutes of action at the Copa América.
Turner’s sideways step
Another USMNT regular who desperately needed a change of scenery after a disappointing end to the 2023-24 campaign with Nottingham Forest, Matt Turner was dropped by manager Nuno Espírito Santo mid-season. He didn’t make a single Premier League appearance after a 30 January loss to Arsenal, his former club.
With little prospect of recovering his starting role at the City Ground, Turner was expected to move on in search of regular minutes this summer. After being linked with an MLS return, he eventually signed for Crystal Palace in a loan deal on the last day of the window.
But his path to game time will be no easier at Selhurst Park, where England international Dean Henderson, a £20m signing from Manchester United just a year ago, is the incumbent in the Palace goal.
The 30-year-old former New England Revolution goalkeeper has been the undisputed first-choice between the posts for the USMNT for the last four years. But without a starting berth a club level, that status will come under threat from a fast-rising group of American keepers such as Patrick Schulte, Matt Freese and Gaga Slonina.
PSV lock down title-winner Tillman
Dutch champions PSV paid $13.3m to convert Malik Tillman’s loan from Bayern Munich into a permanent switch back in May, just days after he’d helped fire them to an Eredivisie title. And it’s easy to see why.
The 22-year-old USMNT star was one of the most productive attacking midfielders outside Europe’s five biggest leagues last season. In addition to an impressive return of nine league goals and 11 assists in just 1,591 minutes of action, he ranked in the 95th percentile among Eredivisie midfielders for shot-creating actions per 90 minutes (5.76) and the 98th percentile for expected goals assisted per 90 (0.49).
He also proved a diligent worker off the ball, aiding PSV’s pressing efforts as he ranked in the 97th percentile for blocks per 90 (2.15), the 92nd percentile for tackles (2.26) and the 90th percentile for interceptions (0.85).
And he has already notched two goals from three appearances in the 2024-25 season. If Tillman’s form with PSV holds, he should be a crucial figure in Pochettino’s plans for 2026.
