Seven Mil Can't Be Wong
After seasons of next to no transfer action, Grilled supporters were left to savour two big signings in less than a month, as 25 year-old right winger
Wong Ping Shun joined from Romanian Division Five club M.L&G for S$7.3 million. Wong is a seasoned professional with spells in Poland and Chile after his developmental days with C-Towners, now rebranded Tecos Foreign Legion, and should be an instant hit with the crowd.
The 1.92m tall giant of a man may not have the blistering pace of a
Chow Ying Lee or
Low Aik Jia, but few leftbacks have managed to stop him outright once he gets going. His big frame has also assisted him in his free-kick duties, and his trademark piledrivers have defeated many a keeper despite them knowing what was coming. Swiss Division Six side FC Ahtopol submitted a serious bid too, but the lure of The Cooking Pot proved too strong for Wong.
Having just completed ninety minutes for M.L&G in a 4-1 win against Fc. Stelutza Albastra, it is unlikely that Grilled head coach
Niculae Stanca will exert him against AdidasFC tomorrow, which opens the possibility of an explosive debut in the near sold-out Cup game against Saraca Swashbucklers.
The move casts further doubt on the long-term future of
Shiya Shaahee, who seemed to have earned himself a reprieve with solid outings, in which he demonstrated a particularly good understanding with
Mohd Safri bin Mohd Kassim. Mohd Safri was however equivocal about the circumstances.
"I'm looking to win and for goals in that order, and Shaahee has been a great teammate. Wong will doubtless be excellent too, and perhaps they can even work well together. Either way, I will concentrate on my own game."