Song Lam Nghe An faces the fear of losing key players next season

"Bleeding" forces

With only 2 more rounds, V-League 2024/25 will officially end. However, up to this point,Lam River Nghe Anstill not sure whether they can stay in the highest league in Vietnam, or will have to face relegation for the first time in history. Currently, the Nghe team is ranked 12th on the rankings, 2 points above the "red light" group. If they win both final matches, they will have the right to decide their own fate. And this is not an impossible task for the Vinh team.

In round 25, Song Lam Nghe An will face Hoang Anh Gia Lai - a team that no longer has any goals to strive for this season, so it is likely that they will not play with the highest spirit. Besides, in the final round, their opponent is Da Nang - a team that is in the danger zone. However, if by that time Da Nang has officially been relegated, they will hardly have the motivation to fight with all their might.

Thus, Song Lam Nghe An still has many opportunities to stay in the V-League next season. However, the bigger problem that awaits them ahead is that if they successfully stay in the league, the Nghe An team will face the risk of a serious "bleeding" of forces. Immediately after the 2024/25 season ends, a series of pillars such as Olaha, Khac Ngoc, Van Khanh, Vuong Van Huy, Le Van Thanh, Ngo Van Luong, Tran Manh Quynh... will have their contracts expire.

More worryingly, players like Olaha, Khac Ngoc, and Van Khanh are receiving attention from many other clubs. If they do not take immediate steps to retain them, Song Lam Nghe An may lose these important names.

However, at present, Song Lam Nghe An is in a "headless snake" situation when sponsor Tan Long expressed its intention to withdraw. Specifically, recently there has been information that Tan Long has sent a document requesting to return the management rights of Song Lam Nghe An Club to Nghe An province. A clearer move is that they did not submit a registration to continue sponsoring the team participating in V-League 2025/26 to the Vietnam Football Federation, but instead, pushed this responsibility to the province. These things show that Tan Long has prepared to say goodbye to the Nghe An team after 4 years of association. It is expected that this sponsor will officially withdraw after June 30, 2025 - the end date of the sponsorship package according to the initial commitment with Nghe An province.

Tan Long's withdrawal also means that no negotiations will be conducted with players whose contracts are about to expire after this season. This puts Song Lam Nghe An at risk of a serious force crisis if the team continues to compete in the V-League 2025/26.

What will happen to Song Lam Nghe An when its forces "bleed"?

Among the players whose contracts are about to expire, Olaha is the name that will leave the most regrets if he has to say goodbye. Not only is he a striker with good technique, speed and scoring ability, Olaha is also a symbol of loyalty at Vinh Stadium. Since 2016, when he came to Vietnam to play, the Nigerian striker has only worn the shirt of Song Lam Nghe An. Despite receiving many attractive invitations from other teams, Olaha still firmly refused to stick with the Nghe An team.

Looking back at last season, there were many clubs willing to pay a higher transfer fee to get Olaha's signature, but he still chose to stay. By the end of this year, although the Nigerian striker repeatedly expressed his desire to continue contributing, the team's upper management had not made any clear moves, making the possibility of parting ways inevitable.

Losing Olaha, Song Lam Nghe An will find it difficult to find a striker with good technical qualities, who plays with all his heart and has reasonable financial requirements like him. That will be a big loss, both professionally and mentally.

Not only Olaha, pillars like Khac Ngoc and Van Khanh are also being interested in by many teams in the V-League. If they do not quickly have a plan to extend and retain their contracts, Song Lam Nghe An will have to rebuild almost the entire force in just one short summer.

The question now is who will steer the Song Lam Nghe An ship in the coming period? If the sponsor is not identified soon, the risk of losing a series of pillars and the prospect of the most traditional football team in V-League having to sink in the First Division, or even disband, is no longer a distant story.