Ho Chi Minh City Police Club has officially announced the contract with midfielder Phan Van Duc.
Immediately after completing the procedures, Van Duc participated in the training session of the new team and chose jersey number 8. The coaching staff of Ho Chi Minh City Police expects the experience and breakthrough ability of the Nghe midfielder to help increase creativity for the attack in the new season.
In the 2025-2026 season, Phan Van Duc played 25 matches in all competitions in the Hanoi Police shirt, scoring 3 goals. However, he was mainly used from the bench and did not have many regular playing opportunities.
Moving to Ho Chi Minh City Police is seen as an opportunity for Van Duc to regain his form after a long period of being affected by injuries, and at the same time accumulate more playing time in the context of the new season with a tight schedule.
Along with the addition of Van Duc, Ho Chi Minh City Police is also implementing a comprehensive reform of the force. The team has parted ways with a series of players such as Mach Ngoc Ha, Tay Van Toan, Tran Manh Cuong, Duong Van Hao, Nguyen Manh Cuong and Pham Van Luan.
In the foreign player group, Peter Makrillos, Raphael Success, Endrick Santos and Matheus Felipe are no longer in the team's plans. The move to replace all foreign players shows the leadership's determination to upgrade the quality of the squad before the 2026-2027 season.
In the opposite direction, in addition to Van Duc, the home team at Thong Nhat Stadium also recruited central defender Nguyen Nhat Minh and striker Michael Olaha to strengthen the depth in both defense and attack.
Notably, Ho Chi Minh City Police also made changes on the coaching bench when appointing Mr. Diles Athanasios Arthur as head coach. The Australian coach used to work at Melbourne Victory, Newcastle Jets and Western Sydney Wanderers clubs in the A-League.
In the 2026-2027 season, Ho Chi Minh City Police will participate in the V.League, National Cup and C1 Southeast Asian Cup. After winning the National Cup last season, the team aims to maintain achievements in the domestic arena, and at the same time make a mark in the regional playground. The appearance of Phan Van Duc is expected to help the team increase the depth of the squad to fight on many fronts.
