Mark Scerri has pledged his future to Sliema Wanderers after signing a new four-year deal with the Premier League club.
Having come through Sliema’s youth ranks, Scerri has been an influential member of the senior team for much of the past decade.
The 26-year-old midfielder’s previous contract expired at the end of the season but the Blues wasted no time in signalling their intention to extend his stay.
After finalising talks with John Buttigieg to take over from Alfonso Greco as coach of the senior side, the Wanderers committee, led by president Keith Perry, switched their attention to the discussions with Scerri who yesterday agreed to renew his contract for another four years.
“Mark Scerri has declared that he wants to be an integral part of the Sliema Wanderers FC project to enrich the club’s status as Malta’s most successful club,” the FA Trophy winners said in a statement, yesterday.
After successfully concluding discussions with coach Buttigieg and Scerri, who played a leading role in the FA Trophy triumph last season, Sliema are now expected to focus on their search for foreign players.
Italian defender Stefano Bianciardi, Serbian midfielder Marko Potezica and Gary Muir, the Scottish wing-back are all expected to stay.
Sliema are also eager to retain Albanian goalkeeper Entonjo Elezaj who impressed after joining the club on loan from Pro Vercelli in January.
Elsewhere, Floriana FC striker Matteo Piciollo is reportedly attracting interest from Serie B club Trapani. They are expected to invite Piciollo, 23, for a trial in the coming weeks, a move that could eventually see the Italian striker follow the same path as Igor Coronado.
The Brazilian playmaker, who turns 24 in August, joined Trapani on loan from Floriana after making a positive impression on coach Serse Cosmi during a trial last summer.
Cosmi’s judgment has been vindicated as Coronado enjoyed a brilliant season, in the process securing a permanent move to the Serie B outfit.
Floriana, now under the guidance of Italian coach Giovanni Tedesco who returned for a second spell in charge of the Greens, are looking to strengthen their ranks with the signing of at least three new foreigners, probably two defenders and a striker.