Reports: Kai Wagner To Return to Philadelphia Union

Multiple reports confirmed on Wednesday that Kai Wagner will be back with the Union.

Kai Wagner is returning to the Philadelphia Union.

The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jonathan Tannenwald and The Athletic’s Tom Bogert broke the news on Wednesday afternoon.

The reporting states that Wagner was signed to a three-year deal with an option for a fourth year.

The news ends a six-month long saga that began last summer when Wagner spoke out against the team’s brass about the offered he received at the start of 2023.

Union sporting director Ernst Tanner said during the summer that an offer was extended to Wagner. Then during the post-season press conference Tanner said a deadline was set for Wagner to set an offer before the Union begin preseason preparations.

At the end of it all, Wagner’s return is the best-case scenario for all parties.

Wagner can continue to be the best player at his position in Major League Soccer and contend for titles in a domestic league.

AEK Athens and Rangers were mentioned in rumors with Wagner over the last few months, but neither of those teams would contend for anything outside of their league title year in and year out.

There could have been more clubs interested in Wagner, but none of them were in any shape close to where the Union are at on the continental level.

In Philadelphia, Wagner can earn a competitive salary among the league’s best at the position, continue to attempt to win on multiple levels and potentially finish his career as one of the cornerstones of the franchise. He is already up there in terms of club legends, so why ruin that instead of going a club that is mired in mediocrity on the European continent.

For the Union, it shows the willingness to commit more money toward one of their best players.

This isn’t exactly a new trend for the Union. They have made a point to lock up the core members of the team to long-term deals that came with raises.

Wagner’s situation was different because of what we assume he was asking for in negotiations. Clearly both sides came to an agreement that both sides thought was reasonable for him to return.

The Union now enter preseason with a majority of their roster from the last few seasons.

The two big remaining decisions are the futures of Alejandro Bedoya and Julian Carranza.

Bedoya was in talks with the Union as of the post-season press conference in December, while Carranza could potentially be on the move to Europe. My assumption is we do not hear movement on Carranza until later in January when European clubs start escalating their transfer business.

Photo courtesy of Philadelphia Union.