Americans Taking Big Leap Forward into Premier League

This week, American Landon Donovan chose not to seek a loan move to the English Premier League to rest himself for the upcoming Major League Soccer season.

Luckily for EPL clubs, two other American forwards are available and hot commodities on the transfer market and are keen on moves to two different EPL clubs.

The two Americans that I am speaking of are Robbie Findlay and Edson Buddle.

Findlay is out of his contract with Real Salt Lake and essentially a free agent, while Buddle is coming off his best season in MLS with the LA Galaxy.  And with the influx of designated players into the Galaxy team, Buddle could be the odd man out.

Findlay was on trial with Wolverhampton of the Premier League and then was rumored to have signed a deal with Championship side Nottingham Forest.

Now, reports are coming out of England that Findlay could join fellow American international Stuart Holden at Bolton Wanderers.

If Findlay joins Bolton, he will easily have a comfort zone with Holden at the club and we could see him emerge as another attacking option with Johan Elmander and Kevin Davies, doing the bulk of the scoring for Owen Coyle's club.

Buddle has been on trial with Birmingham and now is rumored to be on the move to Stoke as well.

Everton and Wolves have also been put into the number of teams rumored to be interested in the 29-year-old American.

For both Findlay and Buddle, joining any team in the English Premier League is a huge step forward in their careers and will give them experience against tougher competition leading up to the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, in which the Americans look to win to make it back to the Confederations Cup.