One move that may have slipped the radar amidst the furore of yesterday's admittedly decent transfer deadline day was that of Nigel De Jong to Galatasaray.
De Jong's contract with Robbie Keane's LA Galaxy saw him poised to become a Designated Player at the end of this season, where he was widely expected to take the place of Steven Gerrard who is expected to retire.
Instead, the 31-year-old former Man City defensive midfielder is off to Turkey, and it would appear Major League Soccer are less than impressed by his decision to depart the US of A.
The league published a bizarre video following Gala's confirmation of the move, tearing into De Jong's achievements - or perceived lack thereof - during his stint on the west coast, with the narrator even suggesting Galaxy will become a much stronger team without him due to the relaxation of their wage budget.
The entire video was weirdly barbed, but absolutely fascinating to watch unfold.
.@LAGalaxy & Nigel de Jong agree to terminate contract. https://t.co/kLM3FWFcP3
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 31, 2016
Now, it might seem patronising to roll out the 'Americans don't understand football' rhetoric, but if you're expecting bags of goals and assists from a combative midfielder of De Jong's ilk, it's probably fair to say you don't understand football.
Worse still, MLS unfurl a gaudy '0 goals and assists' banner at the exact moment when the footage depicts De Jong making a superb, potentially goal-saving tackle - exactly the kind of impact Bruce Arena signed to make.
One fan took MLS to task on the issue, mentioning De Jong's former club in the process. Galaxy were quick to point out that they had no involvement in the video-making process, and frankly seemed a bit pissed off by the whole affair.
Don't @ us. We didn't make the video.
— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) September 1, 2016
"Don't @ us...". That's classic MLS franchise Twitter speak right there.
We're sure De Jong won't lose too much sleep as he prepares for life at Galatasa-Rey.
