The Cong Viettel and Hoang Duc will part ways after the contract ends (about 4 months left). This, in fact, was determined before the 2024-2025 season started and the contract between the two sides has about 6 months left. Unable to find a common voice, now they "go together" in a state of using each other is bad and not using each other is also bad.
According to FIFA regulations, Hoang Duc could negotiate with any team interested in him, with 6 months left on his contract. But he still wants to contribute to the team until the end of his contract. Meanwhile, The Cong Viettel wants to sell - meaning that any team that wants Hoang Duc from the beginning of the 2024-2025 season will have to buy... the remaining 6 months of his contract.
Of course, no club would be foolish enough to do that. Because when Hoang Duc was only 26 years old, clubs were not stuck waiting another 6 months to get his signature in a deal that did not cost a transfer fee. Saying “transfer fee” is just for show, but in fact, the transfer market of Vietnamese football still operates in a way that is unlike any other.
With Hoang Duc having half a year left on his contract, what can The Cong Viettel do? As experts assess, The Cong Viettel is being affected by their way of thinking and doing, leading to half-heartedness in both purpose and implementation. They want to build a style of play that no longer depends on Hoang Duc, but in the end, only the midfielder born in 1996 can make the style of play more exciting.
After the first - and only - win to date against Hanoi FC, coach Nguyen Duc Thang praised... the My Dinh stadium for being good for his players to develop the ball, ignoring the fact that the team's performance only improved after Hoang Duc entered the field in the 60th minute. And also at My Dinh stadium, The Cong had an extra man for 80 minutes but lost to Quy Nhon Binh Dinh, with the reason being that the opponent played tight at home and Hoang Duc lost strength after 60 minutes.
The story here is that, although the goal is to build a playing style for life "after Hoang Duc", The Cong Viettel does not take advantage of this time to develop the factor that will succeed this midfielder. And while training and developing, they should still take advantage of Hoang Duc's qualities to earn points, once they want to be in the championship race.
7th place and 4 points after 3 rounds, although not too far behind, The Cong could have been in the Top 3, if they didn't make things difficult for themselves.
In a few months, Hoang Duc will leave, how will The Cong Viettel move forward? Or more specifically, who is worthy to take on the role of inspiring the playing style? Nguyen Huu Thang or Khuat Van Khang? They are not stable enough or have enough position to become the leader.
Not stopping there, when it seems that they do not want to "rely" on a player who will leave in a short time, The Cong is also causing Hoang Duc's performance to decline - as coach Duc Thang himself admitted. That could affect the Vietnam National Team when the ASEAN Championship is 2 months away, and Hoang Duc can only say goodbye to the club in January 2025.
