The Kei Kamara saga at CF Montreal came to an end on Friday, with the veteran forward being traded to the Chicago Fire.
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In return, the club from the Quebec metropolis got their hands on a general allocation amount of $250,000. A conditional sum of $150,000 could be added to the total, depending on the player’s performance.
The departure rumors had reached their climax in the morning after the absence of the native of Sierra Leone in training. His teammates were preparing for their first match of the season on Saturday night against Inter Miami CF.
Dissatisfied with his contract, Kamara asked for a trade in January. He wanted to return to the United States or get a long-term deal with the Montreal club, but the offer from CF Montreal did not suit him.
“The Club thanks Kei for what he did with us on the pitch last season,” sports director Olivier Renard said in a statement. The Club’s wish was not only to have him for the 2023 season, but while offering him a project over several years. We wanted him to be happy and to settle in Montreal with his family. We finally reached an agreement for an exchange. We wish him good luck for the rest of his career.”
The 38-year-old is the third top scorer in Major League Soccer (MLS) history with 139 goals. In Chicago, he will wear the colors of a 10th different formation of the Garber circuit. He still made an impression during his only campaign in Quebec thanks to nine goals in 32 regular season games.
Later, in a press briefing, Renard clarified that he was not fond of the idea of selling the veteran for the agreed sum, but that this transaction had become inevitable.
“I’m not satisfied, but I’m not surprised,” he maintained. […] The idea of the club was really to continue with Kei, but the circumstances [nous ont obligés à] find a solution. We tried to limit the damage. That’s the most we could have.”
The sporting director admitted that Kamara’s departure will leave a big void in the locker room.
“[Il] was a very influential person in the locker room and on the pitch. So, we have a loss in terms of the quality of the player. But there are rules [dans le] changing room.
“For the long term, it was important to make a firm decision.”