Córdova headed to Alanyaspor - What went wrong at the Vancouver Whitecaps?
After less than eight months with the Vancouver Whitecaps, Sergio Córdova is headed back to Europe. On Friday, the Whitecaps confirmed that they had sold Córdova to Turkish Süper Lig side Alanyaspor. Transfermarkt understands that the Whitecaps will receive an initial €1.8m plus €200,000 in easy to reach add-ons and 20% of any future transfer for the 26-year-old Venezuelan striker.
It was a swift end for Cordova in Vancouver. The Whitecaps signed the striker from Bundesliga side Augsburg this February for around €2m after Córdova impressed on loan at Major League Soccer side Real Salt Lake. Córdova scored 11 goals and one assist in 35 games across all competitions for RSL last season. That goalscoring record is impressive when one considers that six of those goals came in the last 14 MLS games for RSL, showing that Córdova needed some time to adapt to the league.
“Sergio is a player who impressed us during his first year in MLS with Real Salt Lake and arrives in Vancouver as he enters his prime,” Vancouver Whitecaps sporting director Axel Schuster said in February. “He fits the profile of a striker we want to have amongst our group. He is a proven goalscorer in our league, brings size and strength, as well as tenacity in the final third.”
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Just four goals in 24 games – Why did Cordova not work out in Vancouver?
Eight months later, Cordova has scored just four goals in 24 games across all competitions. In fact, his two goals in 19 MLS games, in particular, have been concerning. On average, Cordova has scored just every 419 minutes this season, and his goal participation is just 7% for the Whitecaps this season. That’s simply not enough for a player that cost a €2.1 million transfer fee and a guaranteed salary of just over $1m, plus the Whitecaps traded their 2024 first-round draft pick and up to $300,000 in GAM to RSL to receive his MLS rights.
But why didn’t it work out for Cordova in Vancouver? According to Wyscout, Cordova scored just 0.28 goals per 90 minutes for the Whitecaps this season. That number is just slightly above his 0.31 xG per 90 minutes. In other words, Cordova hasn’t just struggled when it comes to scoring goals but also when it comes to producing chances.
With that in mind, why did Cordova not produce chances in Vanni Sartini’s system? Signed as a big mobile striker with a proven goalscoring record in MLS, Cordova’s numbers were excellent but perhaps simply not the right fit in an attacking system that very much depends on Ryan Gauld. Furthermore, the Venezuelan found it hard to break into the team after suffering an injury early on. When he came back from injury, Gauld had formed a strong partnership with Brian White, and in Simon Becher, the Whitecaps have a cheaper option waiting in the wings. In other words, Cordova has become an asset the Whitecaps simply can’t afford to keep.
- Total Market Value:
- €36.95m
- Competition:
- Major League Soccer
- Manager:
- Vanni Sartini
- Squad size:
- 25
- Latest Transfer:
- Giuseppe Bovalina
- Total Market Value:
- €25.13m
- Competition:
- Süper Lig
- Position:
- 7.
- Manager:
- Fatih Tekke
- Squad size:
- 27
- Latest Transfer:
- Ahmed Hassan
