Transfer Recommendations For Selangor

Credits- Selangor FA

They may have staged two impressive victories late in the Malaysia Cup group stages, but by the time those wins came, it was already way too late. They were knocked out of the group stages after a dreadful four losses in a row where one of the causes is a lack of depth in the squad. Selangor also suffered a spell of defeats in the league before this shambolic cup run which included those alarming losses to relegated Negeri Sembilan & Kelantan.

They may not have the deepest pockets of cash, but this is absolutely dreadful. A number of youth players were called up for the main squad this season, but the fact that none of them has stood out throughout this season is an extreme concern along with other recruitments underperforming. Maybe the youth system could take another look.

Now it’s the off-season and Selangor can take a look at what needs to be done to reshape the team for the time being. Here’s a look at what (I think) Selangor needs:

Centre-Back

Almost the entire back-line could not stay consistent at all. Only Willian Pacheco deserves some credit, but how about the rest? Alfonso De La Cruz seemingly found his footing when he played in his preferred role, but when Willian was absent, his weaknesses were laid bare. He didn’t look assuring and haven’t exerted commandment. You can say Alfonso needed a reliable defence partner. But what about Razman Roslan who was the captain for the past two seasons? He looked a shadow of his former self and didn’t form a solid partnership with Alfonso.

How about Ashmawi Yakin? He endured a torrid time in his first few matches. Most notably, that disastrous outing at Perak FA at Lumut. He was bought back in when the Alfonso-Razman didn’t work after damaging losses to relegated Kelantan & Negeri Sembilan. While Ashmawi was not as error-prone and short on confidence like he was earlier this year, he still needs to improve a lot more.

Solution: Maybe it’s time to recall Ugo Ukah back from Penang. He showed great leadership, put his physicality to good use last season and kept things tidy at the back. Given Penang’s latest troubles with finance (especially in the salary department), he may be tempted to return.

Another option Selangor has is Sabah captain, Rawilson Batuil. He showed brilliant resilience to cut out any Selangor attacks. He had some concerning moments in the early stages when the Red Giants came to the Likas Stadium, but he picked himself right up to give Rufino Segovia a hard time. Like Ukah, he has leadership qualities that the back-line so needed. That’s why he is the Sabah captain.

Some other options include PKNP’s Khuzaimi Piee who showed a steady partnership with Ritus Krjauklis, Petaling Jaya Ranger’s Ronny Harun & maybe a return for Shukor Adan where according to Team Malaysia’s twitter that he may be retiring if he couldn’t find another team to play for next season. His experience will surely be useful to guide this mostly young team.

Right-Back

It’s painfully obvious what problems Selangor has in the right-back. Only A. Namathevan is the sole recognized right-back Selangor has, but what happens when he’s absent? Amirul Ashraf, who in actuality is a centre-back, was put into that position. He looked fine at first, but he was torn apart by Pahang’s Norshahrul Idlan Talaha in the FA Cup final and it went all downhill from there. If Amirul is dropped, then Razman Roslan comes in and he just was not convincing enough to fill that hole.

Solution: This is an area where it gets murky. Other than Pahang’s Matt Davies, Perak’s Amirul Azhan and Kedah’s Rizal Ghazali, there isn’t a well-known right-back that Selangor could take a look at. But there may be a few options lie beneath. PKNS’ K. Reuben would be a welcome signing after losing his place in the starting XI to Nik Shahrul Azim.

UiTM FC’s Nik Syafiq Syazwan is a wildcard option here. He’s a full-back that loves to go forward with great pace that would complement Selangor’s attacking style. He was one of the main stars in UiTM’s fantastic season last year. Although, his injury history may be of concern. Terengganu’s Kamal Azizi is also someone worth taking a look at.

And of course the third option is to look at their youth team again and call up a right-back to back-up Namathevan.

Defensive Midfielder

Only Saiful Ridzuwan Selamat is a reliable option in this position. Abdul Halim Zainal has been largely inconsistent. Other than them, who else Selangor has that they can count upon, especially in protecting the back-line? They lack another ‘Destroyer’ that is capable of winning the ball back.

Solution: Selangor can afford to invest one foreign import slot for this. One option is prying ex-Melaka United player, Jeon Woo-Young from Indonesia Liga 1 side, PS TIRA, who is currently occupying the last relegation spot at 16th place with eleven games to go while ex-UiTM FC player Dechi Marcel N’Guessan, who another pivotal player in UiTM’s historic season in 2017, is available after being released midway this year.

If Selangor is looking for local options, look no further than JDT’s Afiq Fazail, who finds himself down on the pecking other since the Southern Tigers have a host of options in the midfield department. Whenever he starts, he controls the midfield well, but trying to convince him away from the southern state could be difficult given how well run the team is. Another option is Stuart Wark of FELDA United who could relish the chance after being down on the pecking order at Jengka.

The third option is one that the Red Giants already have: K. Sarkunan. Sarkunan looks tough and has an excellent work-rate. Perhaps it wouldn’t be too farfetched for him to be molded as a defensive midfielder.

Left-Winger

It’s been a hit and a miss for Selangor in this department. D. Kugan looks promising, but needs to work more on his decision-making. Sean Eugene Selvaraj is also deployed there, but it seems he’s better off at the centre. He can be Rufino Segovia’s strike partner if Selangor plays a front two that brings about the formation flexibility Nazliazmi Nasir can afford.

Solution: If Selangor really want to make a statement, they should go for Kedah’s Akhyar Rashid, only IF a move abroad fails to materialize. If the Red Giants can’t get him, Kelantan’s Nik Azli Nik Alias has that tenacity that could aid him to beat the opposing full-backs and Petaling Jaya Rangers Tommy Mawat Bada has some good crosses in him.

If anything, Selangor could go for South Korean winger Do Dong-Hyun of Terengganu. He has sadly failed to replicate his stellar form when he was at  UiTM FC since moving to the east coast but given on how Selangor loves to attack, his play style can suit the system.