Comings and goings..

Towards the end of season 2 and during preseason for season 3, I decided to really shake up the squad with a series of changes in personnel. First is first, and a summary of the players remaining at The Anchor.

Nedum Onouha, Martin Caceres, Dani Alves and Guilherme were all handed automatic contract extensions to remain with Beaulieu FC. With no other players reaching the end of their contracts, keeping these 4 players represented a key step in building the team for next season.


Out

Diego Valeri – the tricky winger had been in great form all season, but I knew that I would have to sell him as I didn’t want to have to use one of my 5 locks. I wanted 7m for a player of such promise, but in the end I had to take what was on offer in order to reinvest the money, and he left for a bargain £6m.

Rommano Denneboom – The right winger was never going to be anything more than a short term option on the right wing, but for just £100k (due to his £30k wages), I just couldn’t say no. When an offer of £2.2m came in just 8 days later, the dutch powerhouse was on his way back out.

Diego Milito – With the clinical striker about to celebrate his 31st birthday and on £40,000 a day, big things were expected of him. Despite a very healthy scoring rate, Diego failed to live up to the huge pressure on his shoulders, being outshone by his young wonderkid strike partner. With money getting tight at The Anchor, I decided to accept an offer of 6.5m and Diego left Beaulieu FC.

Alberto Zapater – ‘The Bull’ was a solid player, a real destructor in the midfield, who’d achieved a solid average rating. I was loathed to lose him, but I just couldn’t justify using a lock on him when other defensive midfielders were available. Mark Quinn put in an offer of £5m, and after some discussions, this was accepted.

Steven Pienaar – Another big departure was the South African playmaker. Although playing well, the midfield maestro just didn’t offer a goal threat – finishing 10 and long shots 12 meant he got into good positions regularly, but just couldn’t finish off the chances my team were creating. An offer of £8m came in, and although Mark Quinn had a 25% future profit clause, I felt it was simply too good to pass up.

Marco Suler – The defender had performed well and had very good stats, but he was definitely not worth a second season lock. An offer of £1m saw the defensive rock leave The Anchor for pastures new.

In





Felipe Monteiro – By luck I stumbled upon the prodigious midfielder. After enquiring about Kim Kallstrom, I ended up making a bid for the right winger instead. £4.5m represents a significant outlay, but with blistering pace, good dribbling skills and a wicked longshot, Monteiro has all the talent to make the right wing berth his own. And look at all the green arrows....







Andres Guardado – Put simply, the reason Valeri had to leave. Guardado is one of the best left wingers in the game, combining raw pace with exceptional dribbling skills and a thunderous shot from distance. Despite some poor performances for certain clubs in the past (who like hoofing the ball from defence up to fast strikers), he’s started well for me and is put simply, the very definition of world class.







Roberto Guana – The defensive midfielder comes in as a direct replacement for Zapater. On just £5,000 wages and a £3m, he is a more rounded midfielder than ‘The Bull’. He is however quite a bit older and less destructive, but his signing frees up funds for other signings and reduces the wage bill.








Julio ‘The Beast’ Baptista – Out with The Bull, in with The Beast. One of the key issues with my squad was the lack of goals from midfield, which placed a heavy burden on my strikers. Zapater’s job was destruction, but Pienaar simply didn’t chip in with enough goals, especially given the number of chances my team created for him. Baptista is something different. Slightly slower than Pienaar, what he lacks in pace he makes up for in every other department. Good in the air, a great passer of the ball, strong, with great finishing and long shots, I’m hoping Baptista will add many a goal from midfield.




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With plenty of money in the bank, I’m hoping to add one more big signing before the introduction of FML 1.1 cuts a hole in the finances of every club. I think I’ve managed to pull together another strong squad for another title push for next season, and hopefully I’ll manage to perform slightly better in the cup competitions this time around, too!!