George John will not be joining EPL side Blackburn Rovers, after all. Following a week of reports that it was just a matter of time before he completed the move, the deal has been called off, FC Dallas announced on Sunday.
“Despite mutual interest, Blackburn Rovers and George John have decided not to enter into a contract,” FC Dallas President and CEO Doug Quinn said in a statement. “Blackburn had significant interest in acquiring George; however, for the time being, they decided not to finalize the deal. We are excited to have a player of George’s caliber back at FC Dallas.”
No word yet on why the deal with Blackburn broke down.
Until now, FCD appeared resigned to losing John. The club, currently in 3rd place in the Western Conference, allowed the 24-year-old defender to travel to Europe last week to complete citizenship paperwork in Greece and to negotiate personal terms with Rovers. John's contract with Dallas was due to expire at the end of 2012.
“We’ve been trying to re-sign him for over a year," head coach Schellas Hyndman said last week. "[He] was looking at maybe a European passport and other opportunities, but this is quite honestly not the place he wanted to be. If that’s the case, then ownership and everyone else probably are making the right decision for the future of our club so that we can compete, but this was not an easy decision for everyone to make."
John will be available for selection by Hyndman when Dallas travel to Seattle on Tuesday for a US Open Cup semifinal.
