Tito Villalba switching to Paraguay national team

Villalba finally explains the circumstances surrounding his departure from the ATL. It is an article on The Athletic so to avoid the paywall, I'm posting the entire article below:

Tito Villalba finally explains his Atlanta departure, talks potential return By Felipe Cardenas Jan 7, 2021

A year after then Atlanta United manager Frank de Boer deemed Tito Villalba, the club’s first-ever designated player, expendable, the winger is still grappling with the suddenness of his departure. “It all happened really fast,” Villalba told The Athletic. “I had spoken to my agent, but it all seemed to happen out of the blue. One moment, I was gone.”  On January 29th, 2020, Villalba was having lunch when Atlanta United technical director Carlos Bocanegra informed him that he was expected at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International airport in three hours. Club Libertad in Paraguay had reached an agreement with Atlanta on a deal worth $4 million, according to one source with knowledge of the transfer.

After starting just 10 games in 2019, Villalba’s sale came as no surprise to most Atlanta United fans. Still, he didn’t post the customary public goodbye on social media, leaving fans bewildered as to why one of the club’s most beloved players had left in silence. “There were many reasons why I didn’t write anything,” Villalba said. “I was upset and frustrated with the way I had to leave. I didn’t want to leave — that’s the truth. But I felt like I had to in order to play. I’d like to apologize to the fans, because they deserved a public show of gratitude, at the very least. They treated me magnificently. I’d come home and find letters from kids and from my neighbors. It was a level of affection that I could never forget.”

Desperate for consistent playing time, Villalba welcomed the opportunity to return to South America and play in the Copa Libertadores under Ramón Díaz, one of the continent’s most recognizable coaches. Díaz personally requested Villalba in an effort to retool the Paraguayan side for competitive runs both domestically and internationally. Libertad’s league campaign started well and Villalba immediately proved his value, scoring a goal in each of his first two games for his new club. With Villalba entrenched as a starting right winger, Libertad also won their first two Copa Libertadores group stage matches. Shortly thereafter, the pandemic halted world sport. When play resumed over the summer, Villalba and Libertad’s good fortunes took a downturn.

Díaz was fired after a poor stretch of results. Then Villalba injured the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in September. “It was a storybook start until everything just stopped,” Villalba said. “We’ve struggled to find our form since the restart. Personally, I felt depressed during the initial lockdown; not knowing when we’d be back to playing. It was really hard for everyone, but especially for us, who were at the top of the table and had everything working in our favor. We were flowing tactically. Then we had to start over and that’s when our year collapsed.”

Villalba has since battled back to full fitness, but is now playing under his third coach at Libertad. Still, the 26-year-old who was born in Argentina but has been capped twice by the Paraguay national team doesn’t regret his decision to return to South America. “When I left Atlanta, the intention was to acquire a bit more mettle and grow from a footballing perspective,” Villalba said. “Sometimes it’s good to go back one’s roots and experience South American football. So yes, coming back was very beneficial.”

In Atlanta, Villalba was known as a force on the wing with a penchant for scoring big goals in decisive matches. He was among the club’s hardest working players in training. Along with Miguel Almirón, Leandro Gonzalez Pírez and Josef Martínez, Villalba embodied the spirit and culture of Atlanta United’s first two seasons in MLS under Gerardo Martino. He finished with 24 assists and 21 goals over three MLS seasons. Currently in preseason with Libertad, Villalba, who, like Gonzalez Pírez, still has a home in Atlanta, has finally decided to speak publicly about the sporting decisions that led to his transfer from Atlanta United a year ago.

“Honestly, it was painful because I was a part of what Atlanta (United) had become,” said Villalba. “Everything was perfect. Everything was working out until a coach arrived who gradually cut my playing time throughout the year. At first it really bothered me because you want to play in every game, but that’s how it goes. One day you’re valued by a coach, and then you’re not by the next coach. When a new coach arrives, you have to show what you’re made of. I think I did that and I felt that I was at that level. Even if he didn’t intend to, Frank really helped me. Because I got stronger mentally.  “I felt that (De Boer) didn’t value the work that I put in on a daily basis, so I’d work three times as hard. That helped me to mature as a footballer. It didn’t work out the way I thought it would. I thought eventually he’d value the work I was putting in.”

Villalba described his relationship with De Boer as “a typical work relationship,” however he added that there was “no trust” and that the players lost confidence in De Boer with each passing month. The players and their coach were not on the same page tactically, which led to a visibly fractured relationship. “It was a totally different style of play, and even the fans let him know about it,” said Villalba. “But (De Boer) was the coach and he made the decisions. Things should’ve worked out for us because Tata (Martino) left him a group of players that should’ve repeated as champions, but he did what he wanted.”

Villalba has kept a close eye on Atlanta United from his home in Paraguay. Based on the team’s poor results over the summer, Villalba wasn’t shocked to see De Boer let go in July. Still, the roster turnover and the club’s struggles on the pitch were especially unsettling to watch from afar.  “It hurt,” Villalba said. “I’ve spoken with a lot of those guys that left and we couldn’t believe what had happened to the club. It was difficult to see. Hopefully the club will go back to what we were all used to — a team that’s always at the top of the table.”

Healthy again, Villalba is eager to prove that he’s the same player who was considered as one of MLS’s top wingers. It was during his time in the U.S. that Villalba earned his first international call up with Paraguay. Sources told The Athletic that two Eastern Conference teams have expressed interest in signing Villalba. Asked if he’d consider a return to Atlanta United, Villalba first stressed the relationships that he has maintained inside and outside the club as reasons why he could see himself back in an Atlanta United shirt. Gabriel Heinze’s hire is “exciting,” he added, as the former Vélez Sarsfield manager’s footballing philosophy is one that would suit a hardworking and vertical player like Villalba.

“(Heinze’s) the type of coach that I would like to eventually play for because of how demanding he is and what I would take away from him,” said Villalba. “It would be amazing. For an Argentine, if someone were to tell you that Heinze is going to be your coach, that’s very motivating, especially after what he did at Velez.”

The return of Paul McDonough to Atlanta United’s front office could also open the door to a possible homecoming for Villalba, if a deal can be reached with Libertad. McDonough was responsible for bringing Villalba to Atlanta in 2016, and is now tasked with building a squad for Heinze. Atlanta United intends to return to their origins after a disastrous 2020 season. Reestablishing the club as an aggressive attacking team will be a priority. Villalba understood that kind of tactical commitment under Martino, forming a productive partnership with Josef Martínez. Of Villalba’s 24 MLS assists, nine set up the Venezuelan striker. Villalba was effective on the counter attack and fearless and clinical in front of goal — traits that have been missing in Atlanta since Martínez’s knee injury last February. How quickly Martínez returns to full strength remains uncertain.

The prospect of coming back to MLS — a league that features a brand of soccer that maximized his talent — is clearly on Villalba’s mind. So too is a possible return to Atlanta, where Villaba revealed he will live after his playing days are over.  “I’ve grown to really care about the city,” he said. “I’ve established roots there. The love and affection that I have for the club is immense. Yes, if (Atlanta United) need me, if they want to involve me and they agree that I should come back, I would love to return, obviously. But it would have to occur in much the same way as in 2016, when they asked for me. I want to help. If they’re open to that, I’d be delighted.”

Tito! That's my guy! I hated that he was let go. He brought a fire to the AU pitch.

Simply put, for expediency this occurs all the time in World Football.  Almost like a "Gentleman's Agreement" that covers the broad strokes.  In actuality this is where the explicit details are ironed out.  So a club might say we'll give you $100,000/week, but you might get an incentive of $10k more per week if you score 25 goals per season. Club might say 25 within the EPL, your reps might say 25 across all games(easier to meet goal).  Another example I know of is during the negotiations for a signing bonus.  Player wanted his $2.2 in one sitting, club negotiated paying over the length of the 4 year contract by Sept. 1st so as to free up operational $$$.  This is also were behavioral details are ironed out up to and including your fitness levels and weight.  Hope that helps...

No, definitely not.  Was speaking more globally about personal terms in general...