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“I pushed them to the limits,” Bezbatchenko said of Toronto FC’s player identification department. “For our team to come out with the players we signed we’re very satisfied.”

Dutch World Cup veteran Gergory van der Wiel was the first piece to fall into place following a courting process with Cagliari that, at one point, was complicated by squabbling agents.

“He picked up an injury,” Bezbatchenko said of van der Wiel. “It tainted the waters for the first few months after they’d paid a decent transfer fee to (Turkish side Fenerbahce).

Furthermore, Van der Wiel was put off by teammates lighting up cigarettes in and around the dressing room.

“What we’re doing here matched more with his ambitions,” Bezbatchenko added.

The van der Wiel deal was confused further by a French agent who wanted in on the 30-year-old’s Serie A departure, leading to death threats against family members of those involved in the deal.

“Cagliari, from my end, was very professional,” Bezbatchenko explained.

Similar disruptions are why TFC’s GM told the Toronto Sun the Reds always take “four or five” players down to the end of every MLS signing window.

“At the last minute a big club from the EPL can swoop and sign a player,” he said. “Until you get the player signed on the dotted line you have to keep multiple irons in the fire.”

One of those additional “irons” was Brazilian winger Auro, the simplest of TFC’s three major off-season signings due to Sao Paulo’s previous dealings with Major League Soccer.

“Very quickly they were interested (in loaning Auro),” Bezbatchenko said of the iconic Brazilian club. “This was another example of how MLS has grown in the eyes of South America.”

The 22-year-old was well aware of TFC’s top players and reputation.

“His agent thought it would be beneficial for him to play alongside our players,” Bezbatchenko said, adding ex-TFC DP Gilberto, who played with Auro in Sao Paulo, put in a good word for the Reds.

“We hadn’t kept in touch (with Gilberto),” Bezbatchenko said. “Anytime you’re not in contact with someone to bury the hatchet you never know what they’re going to say.”

But as Auro and his agent, Bruno Serafin, told the Sun in his first sit-down interview, Gilberto gave the Reds, the city and TFC supporters a glowing review.