After a short and unsuccessful stint with Philadelphia Union on the back end of a lackluster 2024 season, striker Sam Adeniran is officially on his way out of Major League Soccer.
Adeniran moves on from Union
Officially announced today, Monday December 2nd, Sam Adeniran has made his move to top-flight Austrian side, LASK Linz. The club’s official announcement mentions a prior agreement settled back in July for Adeniran to join LASK at the conclusion of the 2024 MLS season. The Philadelphia Union announced that they acquired Sam Adeniran from St Louis City, SC, on July 18th.
Ernst Tanner and the Philadelphia Union took a swing on Sam Adeniran after Julián Carranza’s summer departure for Feyenoord, needing to add an MLS-ready forward to the mix. Adeniran had scored 10 goals in his first 20 appearances for St Louis dating back to the 2023 season but failed to hit the back of the net again for St Louis City after scoring in the first 2 weeks of the 2024 season. Adeniran totaled 10 goals and 2 assists in 41 games played for St Louis City SC but had fallen out of favor after Bradley Carnell’s departure.
Though the Union was hopeful he could help push them into a playoff spot, Adeniran just never got going in Philadelphia under Jim Curtin. Just 2 starts (both in Leagues Cup) and a total of 340 minutes played for Adeniran after joining the club in late July, just as the team was kicking off their Leagues Cup run. In 14 total appearances for the club, Adeniran failed to score for the Union and registered just one assist – a hockey assist on Jesus Bueno’s goal in a 5-1 win against NYCFC in September.
When asked about the addition of Sam Adeniran to his squad, LASK manager Markus Schopp had this to say:
“Even though the signing was already finalized before I took office, I am very happy about the transfer. He brings with him an extremely exciting profile and can add further important attributes to our game with his strengths and physique,”
-LASK Manager, Markus SchoppSam Adeniran’s departure frees up $93,988.00 from the books and leaves Union with 5 Forwards on their roster in Mikael Uhre, Tai Baribo, Markus Anderson, Chris Donovan, and Nelson Pierre. In my opinion and based on the temperature I’m getting, it feels likely that Union will add a 3rd Forward who’s ready to contribute this off-season. And let’s not forget – It’s not about replacing Sam Adeniran, but the Julian Carranza sized hole that Ernst Tanner is really tasked with this off-season.
