The Birds would move Senegalese winger Ibnou Balde on today, with the 24 year-old fetching S$6.5 million from Barbados III.7 leaders Hacke FC Barbados, some three seasons after his arrival from Hungary's Heroes SK. While Balde had racked up a respectable 31 apperances and nine goals in his tenure, he would not manage to hold down a place in Grilled's lineup, and in fact had sustained the strange experience of having his starting stats decrease over the years.

Given this, and the corresponding falloff in goal output, Tian Yonghang felt it mutually beneficial for Balde to go to a club where he would be more appreciated. "Ibnou's a joy to work with, don't get me wrong, but he's fourth or fifth choice - at best - in his preferred positions now. On the other hand, Castberg had offered him the Number Seven shirt and a starring role were he to join them, and I couldn't in good conscience stand in his way."

This came alongside 17 year-old Farmer Bunnies trainee Peh Chee Soon winning a free transfer across town to the newly-inaugurated SFC Crusaders, as one of their first two signings together with Yew Tea's Charlie Vuong. In this, the young forward was much more fortunate than many of his academy brethren, whose temporary contracts are coming to an end soon.

Grilled International would receive a small but welcome bonus from 27 year-old former youth player Hj Mahari bin Hj Yussof's S$3.67 million transfer from former Uruguay national champions CA Bella Vista to Anhui-based AIRR, currently looking to rise from China's fifth division. This came as Leri Bezhanishvili won his fifth U-20 cap in a 2-1 friendly win over Hong Kong, which however has seen him ejected from the national youth squad for now.

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