Tim Ream Officially Joins Bolton On Transfer From Red Bulls

“We are extremely happy for Tim,” Red Bulls general manager Erik Soler said in a team release. “He has worked very hard since he joined Major League Soccer and became a Red Bull and we firmly believe that this opportunity will be beneficial to him and the Red Bulls. This was a difficult decision for us as a club, but at the end of the day, we could not turn down this opportunity to help Tim’s development as a player.”

As a player acquired through the SuperDraft with two years of experience, the Red Bulls will receive half of that transfer fee, $650,000 of which can be spent in to the form of allocation money. Considering they still have an open Designated Player spot, the Red Bulls suddenly have a lot of flexibility to fill what are looking to be some significant roster holes.

For more on Ream’s move, be sure to check out Bolton blog Lion of Vienna Suite and Red Bulls blog Once a Metro.

Sensical or not, the only thing standing in Ream’s way now is the little matter of obtaining a work permit. The decision on his work permit is expected to come on Monday, and it seems Bolton fully expects it to be approved.

For more on Ream’s transfer, be sure to check out Bolton blog Lion of Vienna Suite and Red Bulls blog Once a Metro.

The biggest hangup on the deal appears to be Ream’s ability to gain a work permit. Ream has not come close to appearing in 75 percent of the United States national team’s competitive matches over the past two years, but Bolton is apparently confident they can secure the permit on appeal.

For more on this move, be sure to check out Bolton blog Lion of Vienna Suite and Red Bulls blog Once a Metro.

What remains to be seen is if Ream could actually get a work permit to play in England. Generally speaking, a player must have appeared in 75 percent of his national team’s matches in order to be granted a permit or they must appeal for one. Ream is well short of that benchmark, almost no matter how you measure it. He played in 6 of 17 games during 2011 and has only played in two games since Jurgen Klinsmann took over. He also only played in 2 of 6 games during the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

For the latest MLS transfer rumors, be sure to follow this StoryStream. For more on Ream’s situation, be sure to check out Red Bulls blog Once a Metro.