Gershon Koffie may not be returning to MLS after all. Neither the Revs nor any other club claimed the Hammarby midfielder during the March 16 league-wide availability period.
The Swedish squad indicated a few weeks ago that the former Rev was not in their future plans, which prompted the rumor mill to start spinning. Since New England owned his MLS rights, most assumed the fan favorite would be returning to Foxborough.
The Ghanaian could still be picked up by an MLS club before the May 1 primary transfer deadline.
The departures of Koffie and Xavier Kouassi after last season left Scott Caldwell as the only pure defensive (holding) midfielder on the roster. The Revs obtained Wilfried Zahibo in the offseason to partially fill that need, and he has paired well with Caldwell thus far.
However, New England is quite thin at this position and could be in dire straits if either Caldwell or Zahibo were lost for a spell. After all, it was Kouassi’s injury and prolonged recovery time early in 2017 that prompted the club to bring in Koffie from Hammarby the first time.
He more than admirably filled in for the X-man, then provided solid depth off the bench once Kouassi returned to full fitness.
That needed depth at defensive mid may not be available after all. If left unaddressed, this could come back to hurt New England down the stretch, especially as the U.S. Open Cup tournament gets underway in the near future.