Spirig Sale
Fans have begun questioning Grilled's ambitions, after the club allowed longtime servant
Dani Spirig, 33, to leave for his homeland's Swiss Toon Army. The deal brought in S$1.8 million from the Division Six club, but industry analysts have questioned the wisdom of letting one of the lower-paid members of the team go.
"Spirig was a good contributor for some S$30k a week, and while the sale has cut Grilled's wage bill to S$900k a week, they will still be bleeding cash as long as they don't cut the real fat." observer Richard Hong said. "They have got huge amounts tied up in marquee players such as their Brazillian goalkeeper, whose wages would be enough to bring in two Spirigs each season. If such players don't perform up to par or get injured, Grilled are in huge trouble."
Liehner defended his decision, maintaining that the transfer suited both club and player. "Whatever happened, Spirig would have missed a third of the season through injury, and there was no guarantee that he would be ready to contribute after a month out of action. We got a good price on him, and he was glad to be back in Switzerland after spending almost all of his career in Singapore."
The coach added that he had been keeping an eye out for former Grilled talent, such as Lian Chun-Wah, who had carved out a good record particularly in Uruguay and Spain. "Unfortunately, the price was not right."
