Teoh, Chen Leave
A couple of promising youngsters left the Grilled clubs today, with Grilled Birds trainee Teoh Long Yong embarking on a high-profile near-million buck move to Romanian fourth division side CFR-1907-Cluj. A consummate attacker comfortable with both feet, and with a flair for the unexpected, Teoh had long been closely watched by international scouts during his time at the Chicken Wings academy, and attracted fervent interest from a host of clubs, but none more so than Cluj and Frankfurt-based Hakuna Matata United.
Another German club in Effzeh Kölle (Division Six) threatened briefly to steal Teoh away, but it was basically those two bidding against themselves towards the end. Spartak Lobanovsky (Austrian Division Five) were persistent earlier on but couldn't match the rising asking price, with others such as Valderrameira (Spanish Division Seven), ma megtaláljuk a labdát (Hungarian Division Six), ...Erdal UNİTED... (Turkish Division Five) and ATLETIKO SBILENKO II (Italian Division Eight) trying their luck too.
The prize was considerable, with Teoh having distinguished himself as one of the Birds' best U-17 stars to come around in some time. "In a quieter year, Teoh would have high chances of making the senior squad." mentor Lim Hock Puay judged. "He's one of the most devastating players I've seen at youth level, in and around the penalty area. Considering the Birds are now S-League contenders, he sadly wouldn't be getting much if any playing time, and it's best that he leaves to develop."
Teoh himself was sanguine about his chances of returning, anyhow. "Hey,
Neeraj Muthyala and possibly quite a few more managed it; why not?"
Chen Chin Seng, also 17, made a rather less-covered free transfer from Farmer Bunnies to local Division Four club Durian Lovers United around the same time. Also a striker, Chen had been rated as rather more limited than Teoh in his skillset, which the lad couldn't disagree with. "I'm just delighted for the opportunity." he confessed. "We'll see how it goes."
