Attacking Facelift
In Grilled's greatest single-day transfer shakeup in many a year,
Tian Yonghang spent over S$27 million in beefing up the team's central attack. This included their fourth most-expensive buy ever in 24 year-old former Icelandic U-20 star
Gústav Thoroddsen, who cost just under S$15.5 million from Austrian V.121 club FC Parzival. Next would be 26 year-old Spanish target man
Evandro La Face, for just over S$11.7 million from Spanish IV.50 side Descansa FC.
The Cooking Pot grounds were abuzz with activity as sports reporters descended from throughout the country for this scoop, with Thoroddsen drawing the bulk of the talk. Certainly, there was little to nitpick about him, having enjoyed a near-flawless career with FC Parzival after leaving hometown side Juvenes upon turning pro. Thoroddsen was recognized as the most improved player at FC Parzival for three of his seven seasons there, while debuting for Iceland in the Europe Cup against France in a 1-3 loss.
Thoroddsen would wind up winning only one of his five matches for his national youth side, 2-1 versus Switzerland in what would be his final cap, and score one goal for them in a passioned display against Serbia - one where he would also be sent off after 78 minutes, for a second yellow. His personality has been noted to be very much of the love-him-or-hate-him type, with teammates and fans either wowed by his evident charisma, or repelled by his sometimes-drastic changes of mood.
His raw ability has been a constant underneath all that, it has to be admitted, which convinced Tian to outbid Turkish Division Five club GeceGezeN for him. "Gústav is as good a forward as we have seen since we dropped out of the S-League - and I would know, right?" the head coach said. "In fact, some of his moves are so much like myself that it's almost uncanny. Of course, he still has quite a ways to go."
Evandro La Face would come with slightly less fanfare and a bit more experience, as he followed up a two-plus season stint in Italy with Ponente Genova upon leaving Fichas fichadas, with seven seasons to the week back in Spain with now Division Four outfit Descansa FC. As with Thoroddsen, La Face however has but a single league title to show for all that time, and his ambitions have led to a transfer request, and another departure from the motherland.
A classic Number Nine throughout his career, La Face would have the mean streak to go with his size, which Tian was not exactly displeased about. "Evandro has that killer instinct that
Joe Reece is maybe missing currently." Tian continued. "Sure Reece can do a few things better than La Face probably, but what we really want from our central striker is to stick it in the net, which is where Reece has not exactly been outstanding thus far."
La Face's primary qualities saw him attract offers from Mexican II.1 leaders Incorregible FC as well as Spanish Division Five highfliers Pimpon, with IV.50 club Descansa FC also looking to keep him in the country. Grilled's main competition would come from Serbia, though, given their penchant for big men - IV.43 side F.C. T.N.T. were the frontrunners at a point, before Division Three side Prljavi Dripci Podmladak offered S$11.3 million to make him a Blackshield, a bid that was only narrowly beaten out by the Birds.
With their preferred numbers already taken, Thoroddsen would wear Number 31 with a rumoured unspoken agreement with
Chan Ze Han to inherit the Eleven soon, while La Face took Number Eighteen, or twice his favoured Nine. Eighteen, of course, has arguably the more glamorous reputation here, from its association with the nigh-incomparable Mohd Safri bin Mohd Kassim, whose special place amongst club supporters has not quite been superseded.
Finally, Tian added that he had also been considering FB Hai's Israeli forward Alaa Abou Taleb, but did not pursue further once La Face agreed terms. Taleb would eventually move to Swedish IV.114 side Philles Fina Grabbar for S$9.2 million.
