by JAKE NUTTING

The New York Cosmos may have taken home the ultimate NASL prize only one month ago, but that hasn’t stopped the offseason wheels from turning.

With the rest of the league in full roster overhaul mode, a few questions linger over the champions Cosmos for the 2016 season. Head Coach Giovanni Savarese addressed some of those issues in a recent interview with the Cosmos Country Podcast.

First and foremost, Savarese revealed that talented winger Leo Fernandes’ status for 2016 appears doubtful after his parent club Philadelphia Union in MLS picked up his option for next season.

“As everybody knows already, [Fernandes] was a player with Philadelphia Union. He was on loan with us. We definitely had conversations with Philadelphia in order to converse and figure out if there might any opportunities for us to bring him in, but at the moment everything seems to be heading in the direction of Leo going back to Philadelphia,” said Savarese.

Fernandes shined brightly in the first half of the NASL season, playing a pivotal role in the club’s undefeated Spring Season title run. He finished the 2015 season with 25 total appearances, eight goals and three assists.

The Cosmos boss also gave updates on the ongoing conversations that the club is having with winger Walter Restrepo and forward Gaston Cellerino. Restrepo is exploring his options outside of the NASL, but Savarese did not completely rule out the midfielder returning for 2016.

“As far as Restrepo, he’s still our player. He’s still signed with us,” noted Savarese. “We want to make sure we satisfy whatever needs the players want. So at the moment, we are still exploring ad conversing with him to what would be the next step. If he’s ultimately to stay with us, or if the best decision is to be able to facilitate for him making a huge step into a different team. So that’s what we’re working on right now.”

Cellerino, the surprise hero of the Cosmos Soccer Bowl victory thanks to his outstanding hat trick effort, has a club option to bring the forward back for a follow up season.

“We’re talking right now. We’re figuring things out. We have the option to be able to keep [Cellerino] here and we’re just trying to have conversations with him, with his agent to make final decisions with him.”