Finnish Defender Jere Uronen set to leave Charlotte FC
Per sources with knowledge of the transaction, Soccer Sheet can confirm Jere Uronen is on his way out at Charlotte FC.
Finland Men’s National Team member Jere Uronen, a cornerstone of Charlotte FC’s defense in late 2023 and 2024 who saw his minutes reduced with the arrival of Tim Ream, is on his way out from Charlotte FC. Soccer Sheet can exclusively confirm an earlier report from Swedish football journalist Daniel Kristoffersson that Uronen will sign with AIK Fotboll in Stockholm. Uronen’s expected new club plays in Allsvenskan, Sweden’s top flight.
The move makes financial sense for the club at this moment. At the end of last season, Charlotte FC was paying Uronen a guaranteed salary of $572,813 to sit on the bench - almost the exact same salary as U.S. Men’s National Team veteran Ream, who effectively replaced Uronen at fullback.
The transfer fee for Uronen is expected to be below $1 million as he is in his last year of contract with Charlotte, but the transaction would open up significant salary space for Charlotte FC as Soccer Sheet can report the club is in advanced talks to bring forward Pep Biel back in a roster slot that would be subject to MLS salary cap restrictions.
Uronen will leave Charlotte with four goal contributions in 36 MLS appearances, but perhaps his greatest contribution to the team’s history will be shutting down Lionel Messi in Charlotte’s last regular season match in 2023, helping the team beat the odds on Decision Day and make the playoffs for the first time.
Earlier this year, Uronen told Soccer Sheet Charlotte is where he “found joy in football again” after a tumultuous tenure at French side Stade Brestois 29 (Brest). From my profile of Uronen for Queen City Nerve:
“After a while in France, we kind of all realized with my family that it’s not a good fit,” said Uronen. “Football-wise, it’s not a good fit for the whole family living there. We were never really happy there, we never settled. Then, you just have to kind of accept that it was a mistake.”
As much as if not more than any Charlotte FC player we’ve spoken with, Uronen centers his wife and family in conversations. It’s clear their happiness is very important to Uronen — and to his quality of play. In France, Uronen felt he wasn’t performing at a high enough level due to the unhappy situation, stating that there were issues on both sides.
His former coach at Brest apparently felt the same; when Nerve reached out to Michel Der Zakarian, a spokesperson for his current club told us, “The coach does not wish to respond favorably to this request.”
Earlier this year, Uronen told Soccer Sheet that Charlotte FC is where he “found joy in football again.”
In March, Uronen told us “This city is just fantastic, the club is amazing, and all four of us [Uronen, his wife Minttu, and two kids] have really enjoyed our time here.”
Hopefully, as he departs Charlotte, Uronen continues to feel the same.