Ignacio Piatti responded to recent discussions about the possibility of him being traded or transferred away from the Montreal Impact after Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Orlando City SC, professing his desire to stay in the City of Saints – as well as his willingness to depart if it’s in the best interests of the club.
Montreal sit near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings at present with a 5-11-0 record, though they’ve won two of their last three matches after enduring a 1-8 slump during April and May.
After a dispiriting 1-0 home loss to the LA Galaxy on May 21, IMFC owner Joey Saputo expressed his frustration with the team’s poor results this season, and admitted that drastic action – such as trading or selling star playmaker Piatti to fund a roster revamp – may be necessary.
“In our current group, there is not one untouchable player,” Saputo said in an interview with Jeremy Filosa of local outlet 98.5 Sports (in French).“I may be speaking a little in the heat of the moment, but, seriously speaking, if someone comes to get Piatti and offers me X amount for him, I save on the salary cap and I make money.
“Are we better off having three players at $2 million apiece instead of one player at $6 million? I don’t know. Anyways, personally, I’m not happy with our current situation and I’m not an owner who will say 'we’ll finish this year and then make decisions.' We have time to do that now.”
A Designated Player and key attacking piece for the Impact since his arrival in 2014, “Nacho” has scored a team-leading seven goals and six assists even amid Montreal’s collective struggles this season. Last year he signed a contract extension through 2019 with an option for 2020.
“He is the president. I do everything here on the field, he makes the decisions,” said Piatti of Saputo after scoring two goals in Wednesday’s win. “I want to stay in Montreal, but if he thinks I'm the problem, I can go play for another club.
“I feel good every day," added the Argentinian. “There were a few games where I wanted to play better, but it did not work. And it was not just me, but the whole team. I want to improve all that, but I'm quiet.”
