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The Canadian Premier League continues to grow as a soccer division players want to join and the transfer sale of Alejandro Diaz shows once more just why it is increasing in prestige. Pacific FC agreed the transfer sale of striker Diaz to Norway’s SogndalFotball with the team battling for a playoff place. Sogndal play in Norway’s 1. Division and Diaz will join the club in hopes of achieving promotion to the country’s top flight, the Eliteserien.
Pacific have sold the striker for a club-record fee of $165,000. The fee will be used by the club to further strengthen the side and hopefully, develop more players for clubs in Europe. The record transfer sale is now the second-largest transfer fee paid for a CPL player in the league’s short history. The deal has a variety of add-ons and bonuses, which means Diaz’s transfer could land Pacific FC even more money down the line.
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The 26-year-old Mexican player Diaz scored 31 goals and nine assists in 62 appearances for Pacific since the start of 2020. Pacific signed Diaz from Club America in Mexico, where the striker rose through the academy.
This season, Diaz bagged 13 goals in 18 matches in the CPL to lead the league in goal scoring. Last season, Diaz’s goal scoring exploits helped the team win the CPL championship. In addition, Diaz helped Pacific qualify for the 2022 CONCACAF League.
Diaz was one of Pacific’s foreign signings for 2022. His departure will open up a place in the squad for a new foreign signing.
The sale of Diaz should continue to increase the interest of players in the CPL. The league has already gained a reputation as a stepping stone to clubs in Europe. Based on the league’s reputation, more young players could seek a move to the CPL rather than to Major League Soccer which operates in the United States and in Canada as well.
Since the beginning of July, five players in addition to Diaz have moves away from the CPL. Along with Diaz’s move to Norway, Valour sold William Akio to Scotland’s Ross County and York United sent Lowell Wright to Vancouver Whitecaps. England’s Luton Town, a team that qualified for the Championship playoffs last season, signed Aribim Pepple from Cavalry.
The announcement of Diaz’s sale to SogndalFotball in Norway came with a heavy heart to Pacific fans. The team is currently second in the eight-team league having played one more game than first-place Forge FC. The sale of Diaz came at the right time for both club and player. According to Transfermarkt, his value was never higher and with a contract likely to be running out soon, Pacific had to act.
Sogndal will hope Diaz can fire them further up the table. The team is just two points off of the playoffs in the 1. Division. The top two sides in the 1. Division qualify for the Eliteserien automatically while places three through six advance to the promotion playoffs.
