<i>MLS Talk</i> has an interesting piece up suggesting that Derby County midfielder Robbie Savage <a href="http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/robbie-savage-headed-to-vancouver/11390">may join the Whitecaps</a> this coming season. It may just prove to be idle transfer speculation, but it is based on a <i>Daily Mirror</i> <a href="http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Transfer-news-Robbie-Savage-set-to-quit-Derby-for-Vancouver-Whitecaps-of-MLS-in-American-League-Exclusive-article671407.html">piece</a> that not only talks to Savage, but presents him as "set to quit". Here are the key quotes from him:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
<blockquote>Vancouver Whitecaps have targeted the veteran midfielder and MirrorFootball columnist to be the face of their new Major League Soccer franchise - and want him to start immediately.
Savage said: "The presentation they made to me was brilliant. To be honest, it blew me away.
"I am fully committed to Derby and seeing out the end of my contract there but Vancouver have asked whether they will release me so I can be ready for the MLS season starting in March.
"Derby have got a big decision to make and if they say I can go, then so have I."</blockquote>
The other thing reinforcing this move, as the <i>Mirror</I> piece goes on to point out, is the connections between the Whitecaps and Derby. Most importantly, Jeff Mallett—one of Yahoo!'s founders and a part owner of baseball's San Francisco Giants—has sizable ownership interests in both teams.
Savage could be a very nice addition for the Whitecaps. He's reasonably well-known thanks to stints with Manchester United, Crewe Alexandra, Leicester City, Birmingham City, Blackburn and Derby, and he would provide a selling point to get local fans of English soccer interested in the MLS team. More importantly, though, his playing style would make him a good fit; Savage has always been known as a tough-tackling midfielder, and for a while <a href= "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbie_Savage">he held the distinction of picking up the most yellows</a> in the Premier League. That kind of hard-tackling defensive presence in the midfield has always been a focus for head coach Teitur Thordarson, and the current roster <a href="http://www.whitecapsfc.com/roster">isn't exactly loaded</a> with those guys, especially considering Martin Nash's move into a scouting role and Luca Bellisomo's departure.
Savage's age (36) is a bit of a concern for sure, but he's shown he can still play at a high level this year in the Championship, and he probably has at least a couple more seasons in him. If the <I>Mirror</i> report is true and Whitecaps have in fact made him a detailed presentation, it's obvious they have plenty of interest in him, and he certainly seems to reciprocate that. The question now will be if they're able to come to a deal with Derby to let him move.