By The Canadian Press

U.S. international Josh Sargent happy to be in Toronto after prolonged transfer saga

Mar 4, 2026 | 2:58 PM

TORONTO — After a six-month transfer saga that came with an ever-rising dollar amount, U.S. international forward Josh Sargent was formally introduced Wednesday as Toronto FC’s newest designated player.

And while Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment opted to unveil the 26-year-old former Norwich City striker with all the bells and whistles before an audience that included MLSE execs and former TFC players at Scotiabank Arena, the soft-spoken Sargent kept it simple.

“Hello everyone. I’m not going to be nearly as long as those guys,” said Sargent, drawing laughs as he referenced lengthy introductions by MLSE president and CEO Keith Pelley and Toronto GM Jason Hernandez.

“I’m very excited to be here, very excited to get started and very happy to be part of the TFC family now,” he added.

Like fellow DP Djordje Mihailovic, who joined the club in August, Sargent comes across as a down-to-earth sort who prefers to do his talking on the field. Both are a far cry from the designer labels and flash of former Italian DPs Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi, who were bought out by the club at great expense last July.

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Pelley said while the conversation about Sargent started some six months ago, it heated up in November.

Sargent, while dressed casually on the day, comes with an expensive price tag.

A source confirmed that TFC paid Norwich, an English second-tier side, a transfer fee of around $22 million (up to $27 million with add-ons, all figures in U.S. dollars). The source was granted anonymity because Toronto has not announced the amount.

It’s one of the largest transfer fees in MLS history, with South Korean star Son Heung-min’s reported $26-million move to Los Angeles FC from England’s Tottenham last August believed to be the league’s biggest deal.

The love affair has already started with Sargent, who is under contract through the 2030-31 season.

“Josh Sargent, you’re going to love (him),” said Pelley. “He’s a special guy, he’s a special player, special skills. But what he really is is a man that is going to fit the culture. He’s going to make us better overnight.

“He’s going to be a star in this city, a star with TFC. And although the process was a lengthy one, I’m going to tell you, my friend, it was worth it.”

TFC needs goals, having managed just 37 in 34 league outings last season, tied for the 26th-lowest output in MLS.

“I think Josh can do everything that you need a forward to do,” said Toronto coach Robin Fraser.

“When you get one that incorporates all of those things, it almost seemed too good to be true,” he added. “And when we got into the conversation about Josh, and really started looking at Josh very closely, I was thinking, ‘OK, he checks this box. He checks this box. He checks this box. He checks this box.’ I’m going ‘Jason. Get it done. Get it done.'”

Off the field, Fraser said Sargent “exemplifies exactly what we are trying to be and what we’re trying to produce.”

Sargent has a track record of scoring goals, with 56 to his credit in 157 appearances in all competitions since joining Norwich in August 2021.

He originally left for Europe at 18 to join Germany’s Werder Bremen. Sargent made his senior debut off the bench against Fortuna Duesseldorf on Dec. 7, 2018, scoring with his first touch to record the fastest goal by a debutant in club history.

He went on to score 15 goals and add nine assists in 83 games in all competitions across 2 1/2 seasons for Bremen.

The 2024-25 campaign saw him named Norwich’s player of the season award as well to the EFL Sky Bet Championship Team of the Season (having recorded 20 goal contributions with 15 goals and five assists in 32 Championship appearances, including a run of 11 goals in 15 matches).

The six-foot striker has five goals and one assist in 29 appearances for the U.S., including all three group-stage matches at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Sargent, named the U.S. Soccer Young Male Player of the Year in 2017, scored in his senior debut for the U.S. in a 3-0 win over Bolivia in a May 28, 2018, friendly. At 18 years 102 days, he was the second-youngest player to score for the senior side on debut.

Sargent last played for Norwich on Jan. 4 in a 2-0 loss to Stoke City. He was subsequently dropped from first-team training after withdrawing his name from contention for a Jan. 11 FA Cup date with League Two’s Walsall.

At the time, Norwich coach Philippe Clement said Sargent had sent him a message the day before the game “saying he would not be available because of transfer things in his head.

“This is obviously not something we want, and will have consequences,” Clement added.

TFC confirmed Sargent’s acquisition some seven weeks later. As part of the deal, Toronto paid St. Louis City SC up to $725,000 in general allocation money, including $500,000 in guaranteed GAM, for the right of first refusal to Sargent.

Sargent got a mixed farewell from Norwich which had signed him to a contact that ran until 2028.

“Josh has been clear with us for some time about his desire to leave,” Norwich’s sporting director Ben Knapper said in a statement. “In finalizing this transfer at this stage, we believe we have secured the best possible deal for the club.

“Regardless of the manner of his departure, Josh has been a significant part of the club’s recent story, contributing greatly and captaining the team on many occasions,” he added. “He now moves on and we wish him well for his next step, and for his future beyond.”

Sargent and wife Kirsten, both Missouri natives, have three young kids. The move back to North America brings them closer to family.

Sargent is the latest addition to the Toronto roster as the club seeks to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

Other new faces this season are veteran American defender Walker Zimmerman, Hungarian international winger Daniel Salloi, Colombian youth international forward Emilio Aristizabal, Brazilian fullback/wingback Matheus Pereira, veteran American goalkeeper William Yarbrough and Canadian defender Raheem Edwards.

Pelley said the club will announce another signing on Thursday, with reports pointing to Chilean international centre back Benjamin Kuscevic arriving on loan from Brazil’s Fortaleza.

Toronto, which lost 3-2 at FC Dallas and 3-0 at Vancouver in its first two games of the season, visits FC Cincinnati on Sunday. Its home opener is March 14 against the New York Red Bulls.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2026.

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press