Junior Flemmings signs with Toulouse FCAllez les Pitchouns!
In a move that should surprise absolutely no one in the Legion metaverse, the team today confirmed the sale of Junior Flemmings to Toulouse FC of France.
Terms of the deal have not been released, but it appears the value of the sale is “low six figures” and in the range of the USL Championship’s record outgoing transfer fee. That would be $200,000 for Joseph Okumu, who was sold in August 2019 by Real Monarchs to IF Elfsborg of Sweden. The Legion website states the fee is a record, but it is unclear if that means a league record or a club record.
Okumu’s sale included a sell-on clause, meaning that the Monarchs would get a percentage of any fee earned by Elfsborg if they sold him to another team. This is a common feature of soccer transfer agreements, especially in South America. Junior’s sale also reportedly includes some add-ons, so a similar arrangement may exist here. Otherwise, there may be performance-based bonuses involved. Notably, Elfsborg sold Okumu this past June to AA Gent of Belgium for a whopping €3.5 million ($3.96 million). Which means there could be a significant windfall down the road for the Three Sparks if Junior lives up to his potential.
As for his current move, there is major upside. Toulouse are in Ligue 2, which is the second tier of the French league system. They are currently in second place at the halfway mark of the current season, which would qualify them for automatic promotion to Ligue 1. Evidently the team is looking to boost its attacking options to keep the momentum going. The next three spots qualify for a promotion playoff.
The deal is obviously an important cash infusion, and the Forge is working on a post regarding some financial matters for later this week. But for now, congratulations and best of luck to Junior Flemmings!
P.S. As far as I can tell, Ligue 2 has no TV deal in the US, despite the domestic rights being held mostly by Amazon (as well as beIN Sports and Canal+). Toulouse FC’s next game though is against last-place Nancy Monday January 10th at 1:45pm CST.
