It looks like Kai Wagner will stay with the Union for the rest of the season

With under a week to go until the transfer deadline in Europe, Kai Wagner is still with the Union.

That doesn’t mean he’ll be here after Sept. 1, when the window for teams in England and other big countries shuts. But while there’s definitely still foreign interest in Wagner, the odds of him leaving before the season ends seem to be decreasing.

There’s little doubt that Leeds United wants him, and leads the pack of suitors. There’s also little doubt that Leeds’ depth chart is thin at left back, with the team’s No. 1 at the role currently out injured. With only an 18-year-old prospect as direct backup, manager Jesse Marsch has moved a centerback over instead.

(And yes, this reporter took plenty of questions about Wagner’s potential while at Elland Road for Leeds-Chelsea last weekend.)

But Union manager Jim Curtin said Thursday that Leeds has yet to make a formal offer for Wagner’s services. Until that changes, he plans on having Wagner around for the rest of the year.

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“That’s how I’m operating, because I’m a hopeful coach and I know we’re better with Kai on the field,” Curtin said at his weekly news conference Thursday. “Look, a lot is going to change from now ‘til the end. I know Leeds has a lot of targets, obviously — certain guys are on their radar in the attacking part of the field, certainly on the defensive side, as well.”

Just as there are more Leeds fans in Philadelphia these days, there are more Union fans in the Yorkshire region. Curtin, a longtime close friend of Marsch’s, sent his regards and some humor.

“If I had a message, I think they’re doing great, and they’re totally stable in their roster right now, and they should just carry on with what they have,” Curtin said. “Kai’s had an incredible season, he’s been an incredible player for us, and some things aren’t in our control. We’ll make the decision that’s best for the team moving forward, but nothing’s changed as far as from last week to this week — no new conversations, no offer, anything like that.”

Curtin praised Wagner for being “a great professional through this whole thing. When there’s sometimes noise around on the outside, he’s been very focused in the games, and that’s all we can ask.”

The lack of a deal so far has been cast in some parts of Yorkshire as Leeds’ fault. But it’s not that simple. No title contender in MLS — especially one with just one trophy in its cabinet — would easily surrender one of its best players with a month to go in the season, unless the money is too good to refuse.

Of course, the money can be that good. Montreal sold talented young American midfielder Djordje Mihailovic to the Netherlands’ AZ Alkmaar this week for $6 million. Los Angeles FC sold Brian Rodríguez to Mexico’s Club América for the same sum, and to clear space for the team’s other big names (and big paychecks) next year.

If Leeds feels a need to move urgently, the club might have to sweeten the pot. But if the front office (and fan base) can wait until early November, it seems sensible to believe that a deadline deal could be done that sends Wagner over after the season but keeps him here until then.

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With seven games to go in the regular season, the Union (14-4-9, 51 points) enter Saturday’s home matchup with Colorado (7:30 p.m., PHL17) carrying a five-point lead atop the Eastern Conference.

Second-place Montreal (14-8-4, 46 points) and third-place (13-7-6, 45 points) each have a game in hand. But it’s still a big cushion for the Union, and Curtin would like to keep it that way.

Curtin would also like his team to reach the Concacaf Champions League for the second time in three years, after making a historic first impression with a run to the semifinals.

“We brought it up in film the other day: To be in the Champions League is an honor,” Curtin said. “It means that the badge is seen more on a global level. I think people in this country know what we’re about and know what our badge stands for, but I think the more you’re playing in those games against top teams in Liga MX and all over Concacaf, it only grows and builds.”

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It will soon be Major League Soccer’s awards season, and Curtin took a moment to campaign for his players to get awards — especially star goalkeeper Andre Blake.

“He’s still underappreciated — we almost have been numb to how good he’s been,” Curtin said, and even some objective viewers would agree with that. “I think he’ll obviously win Goalkeeper of the Year, clearly. Anybody who doesn’t vote for him is insane. But I’d like to bring him into the bigger discussion, which is, ‘Why aren’t goalkeepers considered for MVP candidates?’”

Curtin said this as a former centerback, a position that has also been historically ignored for the prize. In fact, just one defensive player has ever won it — goalkeeper Tony Meola in 2000. Every other winner has been a forward or attacking midfielder.

“He’s certainly a guy that’s deserving of that, and maybe we can break down some barriers and at least have him discussed in those kind of awards,” Curtin said of Blake. “Because 20 goals against [through 27 games] is incredible, what he does here leading our group is incredible … It’s not what sells, but the goalkeeping position in this league and around the world is so important.”

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