There is nothing like the seemingly heartless jettisoning of a beloved player to remind everyone that soccer, after all, is a business.
Toronto FC fans had become accustomed to an ownership group that appeared willing to hand blank cheques to management. The sale of Sebastian Giovinco to Al-Hilal is an early sign that this is no longer the case.
The club simply wasn’t going to keep Giovinco at his current rate, which was apparently his demand. The mandate from the top is to cut salary after Toronto have had the biggest budget in the league for the past couple of years.