Sounders star Freddie Ljungberg was in London over the weekend watching his old club, Arsenal, play. But his former manager ruled out Ljungberg's return to the team.
"I saw Freddie, we had a chat and he was with us in the dressing room," Arsenal manager Arsene Wegner told The Mirror of London. "But he didn't ask me about training with us so that will not happen. He is doing very well in the U.S. but that doesn't surprise me. He's a very good player."
Ljungberg, who hasn't confirmed he will return to the Sounders next season, has expressed interest in playing in Europe during the MLS offseason, a la David Beckham at AC Milan.
While Sounders fans certainly wouldn't mind the team's most consistent player staying in shape during the offseason, perhaps the Arsenal snub is a blessing in disguise. When Beckham went to AC Milan on loan, he suddenly remembered the joy of playing every week on one of the world's biggest soccer stages and was reluctant to return to the L.A. Galaxy.
With Lungberg hedging on whether he'll be back, the less temptation the better.
One other thing that could keep Ljungberg in Seattle? Better playing surfaces. Ljungberg wrote a guest column for ESPN last month calling for higher-quality pitches leaguewide. In particular, he had issues with the field in Houston where the Sounders' season ended.
