Orlando City mustn't let Martín Ojeda leave under any circumstances

Just when we all thought we were in the clear, Orlando City's entire season is already in serious jeopardy.

Yesterday, less than a week after initial rumours had seemingly been quashed, an additional source reported that a number of Argentine clubs are now set to join Brazilian giants Palmeiras in the race for Martín Ojeda's signature, following the midfielder's standout performances last season.

Make no mistake, this is a move that would weaken Óscar Pareja's team almost beyond repair. Luckily, Ricardo Moreira holds all of the cards in any potential negotiations, but he mustn't be tempted to let the 27-year-old leave for any amount of money.

Not just Orlando's most valuable player

After two seasons of effectively playing second fiddle to Facundo Torres, Ojeda finally realised his potential as one of Major League Soccer's hottest talents last time out.

Tallying 20 goals and 13 assists across all competitions, he was the chief reason why Orlando made it all the way to the semi-finals of Leagues Cup and were still in the hunt for the Supporters' Shield as late as mid-summer.

As we all know, Orlando's catastrophic late-season collapse all but ended Ojeda's hopes of claiming the league's most valuable player gong, but if Moreira is able to piece together a side this winter that challenges on all fronts to the very end, then he has every chance of doing so this time around.

One of a kind

A player of Ojeda's quality is simply irreplaceable.

Even if any move sees Orlando smash their all-time record for transfer incomings, who could Moreira possibly sign to compensate for his departure?

Proven domestic stars like Hany Mukhtar, Anders Dreyer, and Denis Bouanga would all be more than capable of matching or bettering Ojeda's numbers, but there's absolutely no chance any club in this league would sell a player of this type to a direct rival. Look abroad for a replacement, though, and there's no guarantee they'll adapt in time to make any sale worth the bother.

Of course, we can look to how convincingly Marco Pašalić achieved Torres-like numbers during his first season in Central Florida, but the winger has struggled so far to make much of an impact on the very biggest of occasions - something which his predecessor made look so easy.

Orlando don't need to sell

Unlike the Alex Freeman saga, Orlando are in no position where they'll be forced to sell Ojeda anytime soon to avoid him leaving for nothing.

Under contract for the coming year with a club option for another, Moreira can rest easy knowing that he's free to build his team around his star playmaker this current off-season, giving him ample time to work on convincing him to sign a new deal in a year's time.

Of course, if Ojeda voices his desire to leave, then everything will change in an instant. But, at present, Orlando hold all of the cards.