After bringing in Miguel Almiron from Newcastle, the Five Stripes have now broken the league transfer record for their new star striker
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Atlanta sees MLS record bid accepted by MiddlesbroughFive Stripes sign striker Emmanuel Latte LathForward will cost reported $22 millionGet the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowWHAT HAPPENED?
Atlanta United have had an MLS record bid in the region of $22 million accepted by English Championship side Middlesbrough for Ivorian forward Emmanuel Latte Lath. The 26-year-old has signed a deal through 2028, with a club option for 2029 as a Designated Player.
The striker joins the Eastern Conference side ahead of the 2025 season, just days after the announced the return of former club star Miguel Almiron from Newcastle United.
The Ivory Coast international scored 29 goals across 67 matches for over the past two seasons in England.
Latte-Lath's transfer passes the previous MLS record transfer fee that was set by FC Cincinnati this offseason when the Eastern Conference side added forward Kevin Denkey to their ranks for $16.2M.
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"We're excited to sign Latte Lath and look forward to welcoming him to the club and the city of Atlanta," said Chief Soccer Officer and Sporting Director Chris Henderson. "He’s a forward with excellent pace and good goal-scoring instincts. His ability to stretch the field will add another dimension to our attack. At 26 years old, he’s entering the prime years of his career and has already shown his goal-scoring ability in multiple leagues in Europe."
Atlanta is currently in the midst of a winter overhaul, after cleaning house during the 2024 MLS campaign that saw the club transfer Caleb Wiley, Thiago Almada, and Giorgis Giakoumakis out of the club for north of $50 million in transfer fees. In addition, they moved on from head coach Gonzalo Pineda, sacking him in the summer, and appointing interim head coach Rob Valentino to ride out the rest of the campaign.
The club made one major signing over the summer, adding Russia international and 2024 UEFA Europa League champion Alexey Miranchuk to their ranks, paying Atalanta a reported $10M for his services.
Over the second half of the season, Valentino overachieved with the club, seeing them into the playoffs where they shockingly eliminated Lionel Messi's Inter Miami in Round One of MLS' Best-of-3 series. They were eliminated in the Conference semifinals by Orlando City.
This offseason, they appointed former MLS Cup-winning manager Ronny Deila as head coach, handing him the reigns to the program going forward while appointing Henderson, previously at Inter Miami, as their new Sporting Director.
DID YOU KNOW?
Two other Ivory Coast internationals joined MLS this offseason, with Wilfried Zaha signing for Charlotte FC and Jonathan Bamba for the Chicago Fire.
AFPWHAT NEXT FOR ATLANTA?
The are currently in MLS preseason action, working under new head coach Deila. Their first match of the MLS season arrives on Feb. 22 against CF Montreal.