Sliema Wanderers president Steve Abela is confident that the Blues have what it takes to mount a strong challenge for the main honours in Maltese football this season.

Abela's optimism stems from his belief that the club's five new foreign imports and the return of a host of players who were on loan with other clubs last season, will give the Wanderers added impetus in their pursuit of success.

"This is the third year of the long-term project we embarked upon when I took over the presidency of Sliema Wanderers," Abela said at the presentation of the club's new signings, held at Le Meridien St Julians yesterday.

"In the first two years, the team won the U*Bet FA Trophy, the Super Cup and the Euro Cup, so there's only one title missing.

"The Euro Cup may not be considered as one of the top honours but it was a significant success as we gauge ourselves against the leading clubs, the likes of Valletta and Birkirkara.

"I genuinely believe that we have assembled a valid squad, one that is capable of competing with the top teams in the Premier League."

"Sliema Wanderers are synonymous with success. I'd be lying if I told you that I'd settle for second in the league," Abela, who thanked former club secretary Mario Debono for his sterling contribution, added.

After a rollercoaster season in which Sliema only managed to lock up Malta's third and final berth in the Europa League after defeating Qormi 2-0 in a decider on June 1, the club's hierarchy and coach Mark Marlow decided to engage five new foreigners.

These are Hungarian goalkeeper Viktor Szentpeteri, Ivorian defender Sekou Tidiane Souare, Portuguese midfielder Valdo Concalves Alhinho and Nigerian duo Obinna Obiefule, a striker who had a short spell with Ħamrun Spartans in the second half of last season, and goalkeeper Ini Aktpan, who played in Gozo for much of the past four years.

Sliema have also signed Adam Spiteri on a season-long loan deal from Msida St Joseph while Roderick Bajada, Miguel Ciantar and Beppe Muscat have returned from loan stints with Marsaxlokk, Msida and Vittoriosa Stars respectively. Mark Vella has been appointed goalkeepers' coach.

At yesterday's news conference, which was also attended by Sliema's vice-presidents Nicky Dimech and Mike Bonello and secretary Clifton Grima, the straight-talking Abela gave forthright answers to questions on a variety of subjects, from his club's transfer activity to the controversies that thrust the Blues in the limelight towards the end of last season.

Abela, who presented Sliema's new team shirt to former president and chief sponsor Robert Arrigo, said other clubs had expressed an interest in signing Ivan Woods, Ian Azzopardi and Clayton Failla, but the committee decided to keep hold of these players.

"We are willing to retain all our first-team members but if a player comes forward and tells us explicitly that he wants to move, the scenario would change," Abela said.

As far as Henry Bonello is concerned, Sliema are in advanced talks with Vittoriosa Stars over the transfer of the young goalkeeper who spent last season on loan with the Cottonera outfit who will play in the top flight this season.

The foreign recruits have signed one-year deals but Abela made it clear that if their performances fail to meet expectations, their position would be reviewed during the January transfer window.

Players' wages account for most of the club's expenses with Abela revealing that Sliema's annual spending exceeds €500,000.

The Sliema chief also confirmed that Malta wing-back Alex Muscat will fly to Belgium early next week to have surgery on a damaged cruciate ligament in his right knee.

Muscat, who has renewed his contract with the Blues for another season, is expected to be sidelined until the end of January.

Agius controversy

As teams step up their preparations for the start of the new Premier League season, Sliema will also be hoping that their 2010-11 trek will not be blighted by the controversies that overshadowed their Europa League decider against Qormi.

On the day of the match, Sliema were jolted by the news that goalkeeper Simon Agius, who spent the last two seasons on loan with the Blues, had filed a judicial protest against the club, accusing Abela and other officials of spreading false and slanderous claims about him.

A few days after their win over Qormi, Sliema issued a short statement saying they had passed on information about an alleged bribery attempt to the police.

Fielding a question about Sliema's response to Agius's judicial protest, Abela said: "We feel that Agius didn't act correctly. Nevertheless, we gave him the chance to retract the allegations he made about me and other Sliema committee members but this was not forthcoming.

"Consequently, Agius has been summoned to appear before the club's Disciplinary Board which is now dealing with the case. I expect that Agius be fined for making defamatory claims about club officials, for walking out on the team before an important match and for his failure to report for duty on matchday."

Pressed on the events that prompted Agius to leave the team hotel on the eve of the decider against Qormi, the Sliema president said the veteran goalkeeper's account didn't correspond with the way things actually happened.

"The discussion Agius referred to in his protest took place in front of the entire first-team squad," Abela pointed out. "It was a cordial meeting but afterwards I received a call that Simon Agius had requested to talk to us privately."

Earlier this month, the Malta FA announced that former international defender Ian Ciantar had been suspended indefinitely pending an inquiry into allegations that he attempted to bribe a team-mate before the decider against Qormi.

Sliema, who reported this case to the police last month, are no longer associated with Ciantar, Abela said.

"Ian Ciantar is no longer a Sliema player," Abela said. "We agreed to give him the release."