Nam Dinh FC refuses to sell Xuan Son for over 3 million USD; Hanoi FC sends warning signal to rivals in the championship race
Nam Dinh FC rejected a Saudi Arabian team's offer to buy Nguyen Xuan Son for over 3 million USD; Hanoi FC showed great determination when they resumed training on the 3rd day of Tet. That is the outstanding sports news in the past 24 hours.
Nam Dinh Club refuses to sell Xuan Son for more than 3 million USD
Nam Dinh Club rejected an offer to buy Nguyen Xuan Son for more than 3 million USD from a Saudi Arabian football team.
Nguyen Xuan Son once received attention from a club in Saudi Arabia. This team sent a valuable offer to the 1997-born striker's home club, Nam Dinh, however, the reigning championV.Leaguerefused. The leader of the football team in Thanh Nam has just confirmed this information.
"They offered us more than 3 million USD but the chairman said no. He kept Xuan Son to contribute to Nam Dinh Club and then naturalized him so he could serve the Vietnam National Team when needed," Nam Dinh Club CEO Nguyen Quoc Phong shared.
Hanoi FC sends warning signal to rivals in the championship race
On the afternoon of January 31 (the 3rd day of the Lunar New Year 2025), Hanoi FC gathered again to prepare for the V-League matches right after the Lunar New Year. On the first day of the gathering, Hanoi FC Chairman Do Vinh Quang came to send New Year greetings and at the same time, encouraged the players for the upcoming journey.
Although it is the Lunar New Year, Hanoi FC players are still fully focused on preparing for the upcoming matches. The capital team has also made changes in the new year when strategist Hoang Van Phuc temporarily takes over as head coach in the upcoming period.
On February 5, Hanoi FC will enter a difficult match when they visit the defending champion Nam Dinh. Just 4 days later, the capital team will return home to welcome SLNA on February 9.
MU faces a "difficult" draw at the European Cup C2
In addition to the Champions League draws, UEFA also conducted the Europa League knockout draw. Accordingly, the championship candidate MU will meet Real Sociedad/Galatasaray or AZ Alkmaar/Midtjylland.
MU have won all 5 of their recent matches. This team may have played poorly in the domestic league but in the European arena, they still showed their superiority. Thanks to that, the Red Devils finished in the top 8 and had an advantage in the European Cup Winners' Cup draw.
Meanwhile, the teams ranked 9th to 24th will play in the play-off round. They have to go through 2 more matches at this stage to advance to the round of 16. And the winner will meet the opponents ranked in the top 8 including Lazio, Bilbao, MU, Tottenham, Ranger, Frankfurt, Lyon, Olympiakos.
According to the bracket, Sociedad, Galatasaray, AZ Alkmaar or Midtjylland will be potential opponents of MU in the 1/8 round of the Cup C2. Real Sociedad/Galatasaray will meet AZ Alkmaar/Midtjylland. The winner of these two pairs will play MU.
Views on naturalizing players from VFF and Vietnam National Team's big boss have changed
Vice President of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) Tran Anh Tu emphasized that we cannot rely on naturalized players forever and need to focus more on other sustainable aspects. Mr. Tu believes that the use of naturalized players must be done reasonably and moderately, while ensuring that they have worthy talent and a spirit of dedication for the Vietnamese national team.
Naturalizing too many players for the Vietnam National Team may bring short-term benefits, but in the long run, it can negatively affect the development of the country's football. Relying too much on naturalized players can hinder the opportunities for young domestic talents to compete and develop. Moreover, the national team is not only a strong team but also represents national identity and pride.
Therefore, the number of naturalized players needs to be balanced, enough to increase the strength of the team as well as create room for many local players to perform. This will help ensure the sustainable development of Vietnamese football and maintain national identity in the national team.
The success of Xuan Son and other naturalized players is an important milestone in the history of Vietnamese football. However, to ensure the sustainable development of our country's football, we need to have a comprehensive development strategy, including youth training, developing national tournaments and using naturalized players appropriately.
