Could Saer Sene's Injury Affect his Transfer Status?

It was a nifty play at the edge of the area that diced up Montreal's suddenly-suspect defense. New England Revolution winger/striker Saer Sene fed Juan Agudelo at the top of the box, appearing to look for a one-two but giving Agudelo a difficult prospect for returning the ball. The striker did it anyway with a slick back-heel, and Sene was in the box, splitting to Impact defenders as he tried to run onto the ball.

Makeshift right-back Davy Arnaud slid in with a desperation tackle and somehow got the ball away from Sene's feet. But then, he caught Sene's foot, too, and the lanky Frenchman tumbled to the ground, his foot and lower leg wrapped up in Arnaud's lead and trailing legs. At first, it looked like the only complaints the Revs might have would be a penalty shout.

Then Arnaud started waving for the medical staff. Players from both sides followed suit. The replay showed the damage: Saer's foot was turned at the wrong angle to the rest of his leg. Six minutes later he was stretchered off with a broken fibula and dislocated ankle, his season finished.

Replacing Sene's five goals and five assists - and the hot streak he was on, with two goals and three assists in the prior five matches - will be difficult for the Revs in the final stretch. He was even looking quite dangerous against the Montreal Impact before his injury. However, if we may look beyond the 2013 season, what will this injury mean for Sene's offseason?

Saer has been the subject of persistent transfer rumors this season, with apparent suitors in France eyeing him closely. Selling high on Sene, provided it was the right offer, might have been a pretty attractive prospect to the Revolution, and in any event, a winter move back to Europe was likely to be of great interest and intrigue to the striker.

Now, though, he has to recover from a broken bone in his leg and a bad dislocation in his ankle. There is no timetable on his return, currently, but one has to figure it's going to be a couple of months at least. He'd probably be finishing his rehab right around the time that the second half of the European season is getting into gear...so right after the winter window ends. Best-case scenario for him, anyway; if he requires surgery or if the damage is worse, if he suffers setbacks, he might not be so lucky.

So will that affect his transfer status? He wouldn't be able to move until January anyway, so Saer might just be able to finish up his recovery and then start fresh with a new club. However, it stands to reason that a second season-ending injury in as many years would lower his stock a bit. Would it lower that stock to the point that the Revs wouldn't receive a satisfactory offer? Would teams perhaps avoid him completely, and wait to see if he recovers and regains form in 2014?

There may be bigger things happening right now in the playoff race, but Sene's situation is definitely worth monitoring. That injury could be the difference between a tidy piece of winter business for the Revs and a disappointed forward still being on the roster come next year.

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