Losing the FA Trophy final to their Old Firm rivals Floriana have increased Sliema Wanderers’ resolve to be among the protagonists in this season’s BOV Premier League and challenge for the main domestic honours, president Keith Perry said during the team’s presentation yesterday.
“The defeat in the FA Trophy final left a sour taste and indeed, we started our season a bit late in order to be immediately focused and sharp when we head back to the training grounds,” Keith Perry said at the club headquarters.
“Nonetheless, we still put in a lot of effort and commitment to strengthen our squad, starting with the renewal of coach John Buttigieg for another couple of years alongside former player Ivan Woods who remains part of our technical staff.
“Obviously, we aim to be competitive every year as we carry a huge responsibility when representing the name of Sliema, hence we always try to at least qualify to the European competitions.”
Sliema, 26-time Malta champions, signed nine players ahead of the 2017/2018 campaign.
Former Valletta and Birkirkara midfielder Edmund Agius, who kicked his first ball at the Sliema nursery, and winger Dylan Micallef who signed from Tarxien Rainbows, were the only Maltese acquisitions this summer.
The Wanderers have also boosted their foreigners ranks when they brought in Brazilian midfielder Leandro Motta, formerly of Ħamrun Spartans, defensive duo Goran Adamovic, who was on the books of Mqabba, and Nikola Gavric, formerly of NK Novigrad, Brazilian duo Jefferson and Ewdair Pereira Santos, Senegalese midfielder Seck Serigne and Albanian Frenci Oerso.
Despite the new arrivals, Sliema are currently facing the prospect of being without two key players as captain Alex Muscat and Mark Scerri are sidelined with long-term injuries.
Although the club has opted to bring in several overseas players over the summer, Perry insisted that the club still believed in home-grown talent and that is mirrored by the fact the that club boasts a high-quality academy.
“We (Sliema) boast an academy with over 300 players and with our great care in nurturing their talents, we have plenty of players to choose from in order to upgrade them into the senior squad,” Perry affirmed.
Perry also highlighted the club’s collaboration with Swiss club FC Chiasso, with whom Malta international Jean Paul Farrugia is currently pursuing his career.
“We are glad to have this opportunity as it enables us to add high-quality players to our squad while providing trial opportunities to our Maltese players,” Perry explained.
“The idea that we are working on is that the players scouted by Chiasso land in Malta to play for us before heading to the Swiss club.”
Coach John Buttigieg explained how the new players have adjusted quickly in the team’s gameplay and he is keen to witness the full potential that his squad possesses.
“With the introduction of the seven foreigners on the field, the league has become even more difficult,” the former Malta coach said.
“In my opinion, there are still three teams who are a step ahead of us in terms of quality but on our day, I think we can give a run for their money to every club and eventually obtain a respectable position in the league.”
The Blues also seeking further improvements in their structure of club management as they upped the level of their medical team by adding an almost full-time coverage of physiotherapists to the club.