In two and a half weeks, the transfer market will be closed. And in recent days, the Standard transfer window has rhymed more with departures (Avenatti in Kortrijk, Van Damme in Beveren) than arrivals. This is starting to worry fans. “I can understand them”, explained Ronny Deila. “Everyone wants new players but you can’t go wrong. To be honest, it’s a stressful market. We work every day but we don’t have unlimited means, we have to make the right choices and s ‘adapt.”
Aware of the shortcomings of his team, the Norwegian coach notably pointed to an offensive reinforcement as a priority. “We are particularly looking for a striker who could make us better and bring speed and depth. Someone who could make the team more unpredictable.”
Deila had set his sights on Jens Petter Hauge, the Norwegian international winger, whom he spoke to. But the latter chose Ghent. “He wanted to play for Europe. And he’s not the only one to say that when entering into negotiations with us.” Does the same reasoning apply to Teddy Teuma, whose name has been linked to Standard in recent days? “The answer is in your question”, this Deila.
We have to face the facts: Standard does not fight in the same category as clubs like Antwerp, FC Bruges or Anderlecht. “We look at the same players as the small teams”, don’t hide the coach. “We are in the process of rebuilding with the objective of reaching the top 8 at the end of the classic phase. If we achieve this, it will be a good season. But for the moment, we have only recruited a young striker and a left-back. But we need even more quality.”
Was the Norwegian coach aware that it would be so complicated to bring in players when he agreed to board the Liège ship? “I wasn’t 100% aware of it but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m happy and proud to be here. I like to build and I’m not here to be embittered. I just want the team to be better. Sometimes it means the arrival of a player who can make a big difference. But I would be very surprised if there is not more than one player who arrives by September 6.”