FLC Thanh Hoa - "disbanded herd, separated"

In the past two seasons, not B.Binh Duong but FLC Thanh Hoa was the “Chelsea of ​​Vietnam” when the club brought in many famous foreign and domestic players. But now they are facing the situation of stars leaving one after another and not having a strong enough youth training system to have additional options.

Two foreign soldiers leave

As soon as V-League ended, Thanh Hoa Club quickly negotiated contract extensions with key players, but it seems that FLC's no longer enthusiastic relationship with Thanh football has affected the players' staying or leaving.

First, goalkeeper Thanh Thang said goodbye to FLC Thanh Hoa. This player born in Dong Nai wanted to return to his hometown to play at the invitation of his hometown team. Another name that also left FLC Thanh Hoa is Le Quoc Phuong. This left winger who grew up and was nicknamed "Messi of Thanh Hoa" signed a 2-year contract with Saigon FC after half of the 2018 season on loan.

Captain striker Pape Omar Faye has officially said goodbye to Thanh Hoa Club after 6 years of association. Photo from the internet

Recently, it was the turn of captain Pape Omar Faye to officially say goodbye to Thanh Hoa Club after 6 years of association. The Senegalese striker is probably one of the best foreign players in V-League, after 6 years playing for Thanh Hoa, he played 117 matches, scoring 60 goals. Immediately, many Vietnamese teams offered a new contract to this 31-year-old foreign player without a trial.

Of the three attacking players, Pape Omar, Rimario and Hoang Dinh Tung have contributed 25 of the total 43 goals of FLC Thanh Hoa in V.League 2018. (Omar has 10 goals, Rimario has 8 goals and Dinh Tung has 7 goals) Coach Duc Thang can only keep the player from Thanh Hoa. The main problem is still the salary and signing fee. This makes many Thanh fans regretful and have certain worries.

Another case is Ngo Hoang Thinh, a midfielder who used to play for Song Lam Nghe An, whose contract with FLC Thanh Hoa Club has expired. Hoang Thinh - Van Binh - Au Van Hoan were considered the "cart-cannon-horse" trio when they left Vinh Stadium to join B.Binh Duong at the end of 2015, before moving to play for FLC Thanh Hoa. The fact that Van Binh no longer plays for Thanh Hoa has more or less affected the decision to renew his contract with this team. If he leaves Thanh Hoa, the price that any V-League team wants to have this former national player cannot be less than 1 billion VND/year, even though he has just returned from injury.

Unlike Hoang Thinh, another Nghe An player, right-back Tran Dinh Dong, has confirmed his stay with FLC Thanh Hoa after agreeing to sign a new contract. The player born in 1987 played 18 matches last season and is still a factor trusted by coach Duc Thang due to his experience on the field.

Challenge children

In addition to the above names, in the second half of last season, FLC Thanh Hoa generously loaned out players Mai Tien Thanh, Van Bakel, and Hoang Van Binh to other clubs or liquidated them. The difficulty in personnel forced FLC Thanh Hoa to urgently recall players who were loaned to V.League, First Division, and Second Division teams to prepare for the new season. In addition, the club will also promote a large number of young players to the first team for longer-term preparation and for them to begin approaching the highest tournament of Vietnamese football.

After Van Binh, Hoang Thinh is likely to leave as well. Photo from the internet.

According to the leader of FLC Thanh Hoa Club, retaining key players is very important but it must be based on the financial conditions of the club. This season, the club will not pay at all costs if the players demand salaries and signing-on fees that are too high, beyond their ability...

The most difficult thing is still finding effective foreign players like Pape Omar, Rimario, perhaps everything needs financial support from new sponsors. Fortunately, the 2019 football season is expected to start from March, so FLC Thanh Hoa will have plenty of time to consolidate and build the squad.