Stop me if you have heard this one before…after rumors upon rumors, it appears more likely that Oguchi Onyewu will remain with Belgium club Standard Liege for the rest of the 2006-2007 season. When the transfer window opened at the turn of the calendar year, it seemed a done deal that Onyewu would wind up with fellow Americans Brian McBride, Carlos Bocanegra, and Clint Dempsey at Fulham. Superclubs Chelsea, AC Milan, and Inter Milan were also rumored to be in the mix. All for not. I’m not sure why the Fulham deal didn’t go through, although it was rumored Onyewu didn’t like something. British news reports that the Chelsea board blocked Jose Mourinho’s move for Onyewu even though he would have cost somewhere around a million. Finally, the Milan clubs supposedly have expressed interest, but I’ve seen nothing more than rumors. Remember, this past off-season, Onyewu had a deal to send him to Middlesbrough nixed in the end.

This has got to be frustrating for the big guy, to twice have the coach essentially say “I don’t expect him to play again for us”, only to have none of the many possible deals go through. It may be easier for Onyewu to move this summer, as he can move on a free transfer. I wonder, however, why none of these deals has been completed. Is Gooch or his team asking for too much? Do the teams not think of him too highly?