Football Tribe SEA Editor
Defending Thai League Cup champions Prachuap FC have further strengthened their squad ahead of the 2020 Thai League season with a number of new foreign signings.
Their most notable acquisition is Brazilian attacker William Henrique, who joins the club after leading Chiangrai United to their first Thai League title in 2019 and cementing a spot in Football Tribe’s Thai League Team of the Year. His addition came as a surprise and represents a huge statement of intent from the club to build on their successes in recent seasons.
Additionally, the side sealed a deal for William’s countryman Bruno Mezenga, who was set to join Buriram United in mid-season before the two parties failed to agree personal terms. The 31-year-old has an impressive scoring record in the first and second divisions of Turkish football and joins the club after a brief spell with Sao Caetano in the Brazilian Serie B.
Another impressive capture by the Wasps is Filipino-Australian winger Iain Ramsay, who impressed last season with Sukhothai FC. Capable as a winger or wing-back, he was highly regarded as one of the stronger ASEAN imports
In fact, Prachuap have become the first side to fully utilize their ASEAN quota this season, adding Laotian attacker Soukaphone Vongchienkham from Chainat Hornbill and Indonesian defender Yanto Bansa from Sukhothai to their lineup as well.
Crucially, the side has retained two key players from last season, defensive duo Adnan Orahovac and Artyom Filiposyan. The pair were crucial to the Wasps’ success last season, and retaining their defensive solidity will be crucial in allowing this side to reach their potential.
After an impressive sixth-place finish in their first ever season of top-flight football, Prachuap suffered from ‘second-season syndrome’ and were left in a relegation battle until the final months of the season, struggling to gel a team together after losing talismanic attackers Lonsana Doumbouya and Jonathan Reis. However, their defensive might allowed them to stun both Chiangrai United and Buriram en route to a remarkable League Cup triumph, which has re-energized the side ahead of the coming season.
Another reason for their success has been the faith shown in coach Tawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul, who guided the side to promotion in 2017 and has been in charge ever since.