Canadian-born Ghanaian defender Richie Laryea has made a return to his country of birth as he has joined Toronto FC on loan from Nottingham Forest.
He makes a return to his old stomping grounds where he played for three years before joining the English side, Nottingham Forest.
At the English side, he saw limited playing time in England’s second tier, unable to crack a Forest lineup on a winning run under manager Steve Cooper, who led the team to promotion.
Toronto coach Bob Bradley, who doubles as the team’s sporting director, said the deal to bring back Laryea was “far” down the road.
“It’s not quite finished but I think we’re all optimistic that the main parts are done,” he said after training Thursday.
A deadline was looming with the MLS secondary transfer window closing at end of the day.
The move fills a hole at right fullback for Toronto while giving Laryea a place to play in the lead-up to the November World Cup in Qatar.
Bradley said he expects the Laryea move to be a loan initially with the player expected to arrive later Thursday. Toronto (6-12-5) plays at Nashville SC (8-7-9) on Saturday.
Laryea made 83 appearances across all competitions with nine goals and 12 assists for Toronto. He earned US$226,950 last season with TFC.
He was one of 22 players from last year’s first team to move on.
Laryea didn’t make his Forest debut until April 18, coming off the bench in the 79th minute in a 4-0 win over West Bromwich Albion. And with Forest strengthening its roster for its return to the Premier League — reportedly spending more than £80 million (C$124.9 million) on 12 players — the competition for playing time was growing considerably.
Source: Ghanagurdian
