He Who Would Be Martinsson
Right on the heels of Martinsson saying that he would leave, Alcántara blew, with the permission of the board, the princely sum of S$2.75 million on Dutch striker
Maikel Rotteveel. That sum is not to be taken lightly as it represents just about all of Grilled's Cup profits this season, but the new signing having Martinsson's endorsement should win him some friends at least.
"There will only ever be one Martinsson," Alcántara said, "but he'll be the first to admit that he is getting no younger, and we've really missed having a forward like him in his prime. So, when I ran though some scouting videos and thought I saw just about the splitting image of Marty, only eight years younger, it was just a case of asking for the chequebook."
Unlike Martinsson, Rotteveel is a Dutchman, and while Martinsson is known almost as much for his delicate touches as for his free-kicks, Rotteveel's calling card is speed. Otherwise, they operate in almost exactly the same way, preferring to hang off a point man to arrow in long shots, with just enough of a hint of selfishness to qualify as a good striker.
Martinsson himself didn't hesitate to name Rotteveel as his successor in spirit after spending a training session with him. "I have to say you lot won't miss me much." he announced both modestly and cheekily. "Rotteveel's better than I ever was." Rotteveel was polite enough to disagree, though he has a reputation of not being exactly nice when on the field.
Rotteveel spent a nomadic few months in the Romanian lower divisions after striking out as a professional, then enjoyed a productive season at respected Denmark club Aalborg Rovers before settling with Russia's Pomi d'oro, eventually helping them to Division Two. Pomi d'oro agreed to release him after secret negotiations with Grilled, however, and by all appearances Rotteveel is up to this new challenge.
The signing also ends speculation about German forward Nico Ofenerdiek and Italian forward Claudio Scagliarini, both of whom were rumoured to have been on Alcántara's wishlist for some time.
