New Inter Miami signing Luis Robles says he asked the New York Red Bulls to decline his contract option in order to give him the best opportunity to pick his new club.
Robles, 35, spent eight years with the Red Bulls, making 238 appearances and winning three Supporters’ Shields, before the club announced last month that they were declining his contract option, making him a free agent.
Inter Miami announced on Dec. 2 that the goalkeeper had become the latest player to join their roster ahead of their inaugural season in MLS in 2020.
“As we got toward the end, [Red Bulls sporting director] Denis [Hamlett] called me, Chris [Armas] called me before the day that they announced it and we talked about a bunch of different scenarios and none of those scenarios included me continuing to play for the team,” Robles told SiriusXM FC's Counter Attack.
"So at that point, I said 'thank you, I appreciate everything that you guys have allowed me to do. And if it’s OK with you I just ask that you don’t explore too many other options in just letting me go,'" Robles continued. "I thought Denis did me a solid by just letting me go because it was going to give me the best chance in deciding where I could go. I really was grateful to him.”
Robles added that the phones were soon ringing with interested clubs, despite his anxiety over whether there would be any great clamor for his services. Yet once he got to see in person what Inter Miami has to offer, the former US international said that his decision was an easy one.
"What they've got going on down there is so impressive," he said. "They're making sure that everything about it is going to be world-class. I was blown away."
Robles is in the unusual scenario of joining a team without a coach, with Miami promising an announcement of their first head coach is imminent, a situation that the veteran described as "kind of strange."
While Robles said Inter Miami did not divulge any details about their prospective coach, he explained that he hoped it would be someone who's familiar with Major League Soccer and familiar with him.
"I think that would go a very long way," he said.
