Chonburi FC: D
“Let me be clear – any young players, good enough for the first team, will get their chance!” That was Sasom Pobprasert’s promise on his first press conference as Chonburi FC head coach. But two transfer window into his reign and all Sasom achieved so far is clogging’s young sharks pathway to senior football by signing loads of 30+ veterans, many of which is his former players. At the peak of their powers, Kazuto Kushida and Adul Lahsoh would outplay any T1 midfield, unfortunately, this isn’t 2012 anymore. More importantly, what does the return of these two legends mean to the development of Kritsada Kaman, Saharat Sontisawat or Worachit Kanitsribampen?
On a slightly more positive note, defender Koravit Namwiset is a decent signing from the disbanded PTT Rayong FC. Same for striker Dragan Boskovic, another free signing, who was shunned out by Port FC at the second leg of 2019. Carli de Murga is an experience Philippines international, still, with Chonburi’s poor history of integrating SEA talents, one wonders how much effect the center-back can have on the team. These three could be huge hit-or-miss deals for Chonburi FC. But with the club having already missed out on the top 5 spots for 3 years straight and still struggling to rebuild their first-team squad, we don’t think taking a risk on experienced names as a short -term fix is the answer. (Obb)
Muangthong United: D
While most of the focus will be on the outgoing moves, the main mistake for the Kirin was the transfers they didn’t make. All players are replaceable, and cutting the wage budget should be a top priority for long-term sustainability. That being said, allowing Heberty and Chappuis to both move to a direct rival in Port FC seems misjudged, especially given that other clubs were also interested in their players. The charity drive the club was running at the SCG this holiday season could have at least made to mitigate the damage done by their decisions, but apparently that was too much to ask for.
However, their repeated failed attempts to sign an AFC midfielder, and letting Magno Cruz slip after already scheduling a press conference with him, was a fairly dysmal state of affairs for the club. One hopes that they will smartly reinvest the money they’ve earned from this window, but their first attempt at it doesn’t inspire much hope. (Gian)
Nakhon Ratchasima FC: B-
The appointment of “Coach Joe” Teerasak Po-on, to start the club’s evolution to a more possession-baed team, is an exciting one for the Swat Cat fans. The loan-signing of attacking midfielder Wongsakorn Chaikultewin from SCG Muangthong United is a great piece of business. The 23-year old was outstanding for the newly-promoted Trat FC in 2019, became the heart of the team with his vision and excellent passing, he will add much-needed creativity to Nakhon Ratchasima midfield. Kittipong Wongma, Anon Samakorn or Adisak Hantes offered decent squad depth.
7 goals in 15 for PTT Rayong in the 2nd leg of 2019 was enough to convince coach Joe to bring Dennis Murillo along with to the northeast. Whether the Brazilian forward can fill up the void left by Bernard Henry Doumbia remains to be seen. But the stats prove he is good enough for the league and knows how to play under Teerasak. The side maybe needs another solid center-back and definitely another right-back. Still, overall a fine window by Nakhon Ratchasima who got the balance between quality and quantity just about right. (Obb)
Port FC: C
Port have once again repeated the same strategy of the past two seasons; sign the biggest name players, regardless of whether or not they fit the overall system. The biggest issue is the fact that the Klongtoey side once again failed to sign a central striker (or ‘number 9’), which has been plaguing them for what seems like a number of years now. History has repeated itself with the signing of Heberty, as the club judged their striker solely on goalscoring prowess and ignored where and how he would fit into the team, just as they did with Dragan Boskovic back in 2017.
However, there is a hope that Heberty’s talent alone will be enough to shine through regardless of the system he plays in, but once again clearly demonstrates that Port are not making the best use of their resources. The side have also padded out the rest of their squad with young players such as Jaturapat Sattham, Chatmongkol Thongkiri, Tanasith Sriphala and so on, but the success of those moves can only be judged once we see how much emphasis the club places on their development. Their latest signing, Charyl Chappuis from Muangthong, again adds talent and flair to what looks like the most exciting side in the league, but again leaves us to wonder about the system. It is hard to evaluate these moves because many of them raise more questions than answers. (Gian)
