Hanoi Police Department Demonstrates Ambition
Last season, Hanoi Police Club finished in 6th place on the rankings, and at the same time, they went through an unstable period when they constantly changed head coaches.
Learning from the disastrous last season, the police football team quickly got to work to consolidate their forces. Hanoi Police are having a highly effective transfer season.
Firstly, they successfully retained midfielder Nguyễn Quang Hải - one of the three most valuable Vietnamese players currently - with a contract with a minimum term of 3 years.
Next, they continued to supplement the positions that were weak in the previous season with high-level players. Alan - the top scorer of the previous season (Binh Dinh FC) joined Hanoi Police to supplement the team's attacking efficiency, while Jason Pendant Quang Vinh and Dinh Trong (Binh Dinh FC) arrived at Hang Day Stadium, filling the two positions of center-back and left-back that were the "Achilles' heel" of the former champion V.League.
In addition, before the transfer market closed, the team of coach Mano Polking is expected to make 2-3 more high-profile deals.
Another V.League team that was active in the "summer market" is Binh Duong. The appearance of coach Hoang Anh Tuan marked the beginning of a notable update for the team.
The addition of Ho Tan Tai (Hanoi Police) and Ngo Tung Quoc (Ho Chi Minh City) helped Binh Duong strengthen its defense. Conversely, the arrival of Duc Chinh and Xuan Tu (Binh Dinh) at Gò Đậu Stadium also gave the coaching staff more options on the attacking front, rather than relying solely on Tiến Linh.
Many teams "stand still"
Contrary to the excitement from Hanoi Police and Binh Duong, many V.League teams have not rushed to make transfers. Instead, they have parted ways with a large number of players who have been with them for a long time.
Take Binh Dinh and Hoang Anh Gia Lai, for example. The team that finished as runners-up last season has parted ways with a number of key players, including Xuan Tu, Van Thanh, Duc Chinh, Duc Lợi, Dinh Trong, Thien Duc, Minh Hoàng, Minh Nghĩa, Manh Cường, Schmidt, Marlon, Van Duc, Van Thuận, and Ngoc Bảo.
To compensate for the loss, they only welcomed a few mid-level signings, such as Van Khoa (Hai Phong), Ngoc Toan (Hue), Thanh Phong (Long An), Xuan Quit (Nam Dinh), and Truong Hieu (Khanh Hoa). Clearly, with these investments, Binh Dinh FC will struggle to aim for a high ranking in V.League.
The same story applies to Hoang Anh Gia Lai. The team from Phu Nu parted ways with key players like Tan Tai, Thanh Bình, Minh Bình, Duc Việt, Tiến Dũng, Kiên Quyết, Dương Quân, Gabriel Ferreira, and Joao Veras. To date, the only new signing for Hoang Anh Gia Lai is Vietnamese-foreigner Lê Trung Vinh.
Hanoi FC fans are getting impatient. As of now, the team's transfer activity has been sluggish. Hanoi FC has only brought in mid-level players like Lê Xuân Tú, Hồ Thanh Minh, and Chu Văn Kiên. These signings are not enough to convince fans that the team will regain its championship title.
Rumors have circulated about the arrival of high-profile foreign players, but nothing has been confirmed.
Over the past two years, Hanoi FC has watched its rivals, Hanoi Police and Nam Dinh, win the championship. If Hanoi FC continues to make transfers like this, it will be difficult for the team to regain its former glory in V.League.
