Re-Sale: Naess leaves Columbus after 13 months
- by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Aug 30, 2017
Crew situation. Naess, 24, arrived in July 2016 and was slotted in as the replacement for Michael Parkhurst when the Crew captain moved to expansion Atlanta United. But he had not been used in the last four games as the Crew won three games and tied one to shot up into third place in the Eastern Conference.
Coach Gregg Berhalter alternated between three in the back with Jonathan Mensah, Josh Williams and rookie Lalas Abubakar and two centerbacks, Mensah and Williams, both offseason acquisitions.
Berhalter: Naess was a young player whom the Crew signed because it could develop him and possibly re-sell him. He said the transfer came a little bit sooner than expected but this summer's window was the "greatest window to maximize this value."
Heerenveen situation. Naess' arrival Heerenveen comes the same day it sold Joost van Aken to Sheffield Wednesday in England. He could step in at center back for van Aken, but Heerenveen coach Gerry Hamstra likes his versatility and could use him in midfield.
Naess joins two other Norwegians -- Martin Odegaard (on loan from Real Madrid) and Morten Thorsby -- at Heerenveen.
Good on Berhalter. I liked Naess and would have liked to see him stay, but Gregg has done a good job of knowing when to sell players.