Ryan Nelsen rumors return, this time as a coach or player-coach

According to the Daily Mail, the English paper renowned across the world for making up transfer rumors that have no basis in reality, Ryan Nelsen is set to sever his contract with Queens Park Rangers and come back to D.C. United, either as a coach or as a player-coach. Nelsen was captaining QPR, the worst team in the Premier League, until a manager switch two games ago. And while he is still starting in the EPL and QPR did just beat Chelsea, I can understand why retirement would be preferable to playing for a team basically certain of being relegated. But retirement in the middle of a season? That seems less likely, unless it is injury related.

There were also rumors linking Nelsen to D.C. United in the previous transfer window, which is the only reason I would give the Daily Mail report any chance of actually being true; even still, I do not see the math lining up, especially if he comes as a player-coach. Notwithstanding the massive pay cut he would have to take, the international slot math that our own Chest Rockwell brought up would become even more cramped and it would basically guarantee that Emiliano Dudar was not coming back.

Nelsen coming back solely as a coach makes more sense, but there are still lingering questions. For example, if Nelsen came would that mean that he would take a brand new assistant coach spot or does that mean that one of our current assistant coaches is leaving. I know there was some speculation about whether Kevin Payne was going to try and poach Chad Ashton, but the time for that seems to have passed.

Despite all of this, I would welcome Nelsen back if he came, but all of these questions (plus the fact that it is from the Daily Mail) make me doubt that it will actually happen.