Tang Hengcai, whom many Grilled fans had pinned their hopes on to become one of the Birds' future stars, wound up leaving two days after his 21st birthday, with Latvian Division Five club Cūku komplekss his destination. Grilled received S$1.5 million from the deal, slightly less than they had hoped, but Niculae Stanca insisted that it was done mainly with Tang in mind.

"Sure, we could well have kept him, and he would probably have started against heimu XI due to Chow Ying Lee's suspension - but after that, what? While he's very good, he won't be dislodging our best three forwards for a long time, and Tang's entering the stage of a footballer's career where regular games are a must."

"We could have sweet-talked him into staying, but it would not have been ideal either for him or us, and this is for the best."

Tang Hengcai could not completely hide his disappointment at having to leave, but confirmed that he understood Stanca's concerns. "I've always wanted to be a regular here, but it was just so hard to break into the team."

He then brightened up. "But Grilled have made it a point to welcome their former players back. Hopefully I will return when the time is right!"

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