Nobike Nab Heng
33 year-old left winger
Heng Dong Chu joined the exodus today, with a S$4.5 million move to Swedish IV.104 side Nobike. It had to be accounted as about as good a transfer that he could have hoped for, with Nobike having risen as high as the second division of the storied Swedish league. Having recently divested themselves of 22 year-old Cape Verde national prospect Artur Simões for S$13.8 million, Camil Burvenich may well be going in on getting results, backed by Taiwanese youth international goalkeeper Liang Youwei.
It may be hard to look at a haul of three S-League titles and two Emerald Challenger Cups as a disappointing return, but for Heng - still the club's second most-expensive signing ever at S$16.8 million - it had to be accounted as underwhelming. His nine seasons at Grilled yielded an average of barely ten starts and two goals each, with his role often filled by far less-expensive non-specialists.
Such has been the curse of out-and-out wingmen at the Birds, though, a fact that Heng was happy enough to recognize. "I can't complain, I enjoyed my time with Grilled thoroughly." the new Nobike Number 61 smiled. "But it's time to beat a new path."
Grilled head coach
Tian Yonghang bade good luck to Heng on his departure, while confirming that former youth player Wee Ping Fu had been offered to the club by II.3 side Galactic Eagles CF, having done all concerned proud by earning a Singapore youth cap while with Caly czas do przodu in Poland. "Alas, we have a strict plan with an age profile that we want, and couldn't shoehorn him in." Tian sighed. "I'd have loved it otherwise."