Season 5 – Squad Building & European Football…
Some Goodbyes…
So as to be expected we have ended up losing both Brynhildsen and Romero to their release clauses but I feel as if bringing in nearly £5 million is a great turn out, especially when we didn’t have much budget available so this was to be put to good use! (Even though they left huge holes in the squad).
So we ended up with a lot of business taking place this summer as we looked to upgrade and build a squad that could handle a lot more games and still be able to challenge in the top levels of Portugal. Due to this we did have to say goodbye to some players we ideally wanted to keep.
Nonge Boende bringing in £1.5M is a good move as he was yet to play for us regularly, but with high potential it is a shame we didn’t get to really see the best of him.
Bronn was going to be our third CB this year but with an offer coming in and as he was looking to run his contract down already, it seemed the best move for the current place were in.
Berko was now 31 and with some value still there I decided to cash in on him. Also the issue of having some more homegrown players at the club started the highlight itself a lot more so I thought it was best to free up some space there.
The likes of Silva, Andrezinho, Sacko, Sanca and even Paz had all shown last year that they weren’t able to make the step up to the higher level when we needed them, so instead of sending them on loan I decided to get rid of them for pretty cheap just to clear some wages out of the club.
All other deals were loans to help with development, I’m especially looking forward to seeing how Hammouche and Delamare do on their loans as they should come back really pushing to make it into our first team!
Welcome to our Rebuild!
Goalkeepers
Soares / 500K – We now have a backup keeper who is trained in nation and also can compete for the top spot if he develops a little more. It was an easy pick up to fill the squad up and hit the quota too.
Defenders
Sibanyoni / 500K – So this one is a little risk. He had a release clause as 500K as has the potential to be a leading player in Portugal. He plays at CB but im also training him at right back too. We’ll see how he develops, but at only 18 he will certainly be in the squad and get some game time too.
Quaresma / 500K – This was an easy one. After his loan last year and being transfer listed we made the move and keep him around the squad.
Vinagre / FREE – Ruben is our new left back, its as simple as that. He has premier league experience and is home grown in nation. It was a really easy and simple decision and im glad we managed to secure him as there was several offers coming his way.
Ze Carlos / FREE – He comes in as our new right back and will fit in straight away. He’s 29 but has some real quality in the attacking roles so helps with that wing back position we play.
Burns / LOAN – Finley comes in from Man City as our 4
th centre back. A role which means he also wont back it into our European squad but will get plenty of game time in our congested schedule. Also as a young player you never know how well the develop and could mean he gets plenty of game time at the back end of the season.
Midfielders
Prescott / 125K – He is another young prospect who was highlighted by my scouts with a low release clause. Again it is a little bit of a risk but if we can even spin 1 other player for £9M like we have done with Alejandro then we will be flying!
Hedilazio / FREE – Manuel comes in as a right and left winger and will be good backup for the squad. He basically replaces Sacko and Sanca from last season.
Sousa / FREE – Sousa originally was brought in as our new left winger but as preseason has gone on I feel as if he’ll be more suited to that deep lying playmaker role. Again hes a star player who can fill several positions for us so id imagine a lot of game time for him this year.
Sandry / FREE – Now he really is our star signing! His quality and level is way above us at this current time. He’ll be our box to box midfielder in every game we can possibly use him. He seems to have the fitness and stamina to fulfil that role too so fingers crossed we have a real gem on our hands.
Gelabert / FREE – So again another versatile player who can play all along the midfield. He’s really a depth player that will get plenty of time in the league and lower cup matches.
Strikers
Tavares / £1 Mill – Our new superstar striker has come in for a club record breaking fee and I’m hoping hes worth every penny! As you’ll see in a minute hes hit the ground running and really has the potential to make a big impact in Portugal this year. A real steal for £1 Mill!
Artola / FREE – Another free transfer and another depth player signing. He’s a younger player that can play both midfield and up top so will be used sparingly across the season.
Bustos / LOAN – Nahuel was a bit of a late addition as I realised both Simeone and Poveda are still out with injuries so he’s come in to bridge the gap left aswell as having a bit of quality going forward. Id imagine hes getting a lot of game time off the bench whilst hes with us.
Tavares & Pardal – Both are just cheap youth players that may have potential in future years but we’ll have to wait a while to see how that all goes.
The Squad
So, here’s how we look as a full complete squad (as you can see, we have played a couple of games so far…)
End of Pre-Season
So after the success last year we were drawn in the third qualifying stage of the Champions league vs Rangers!
Sadly it wasn’t meant to be as we lost in extra time of the second leg. Tavares of course scoring 5 in 2 is a real positive sign going forwards! With all of this being said though, this does mean we qualify directly for the Europa League Group Stage now! So it’s time to continue our European adventure….
Also with all the wheeling and dealing and with some European money starting to filter in our balance is looking the healthiest its been in a long long time!