Ronny Deila is a happy coach. On Tuesday evening, he was kept informed, in real time, of the latest progress in the Liège transfer window, which saw the arrival of two players – Philip Zinckernagel and Marlon Fossey – awaiting a third: Steven Alzate. The Colombian midfielder (23 years old) has not yet received the various papers relating to his qualification. “He can’t train with us yet, but we are hopeful to sort everything out in the next few hours,” said the coach.
Deila, who highlighted the work done by Fergal Harkin and Pierre Locht, commented generally on the Liège transfer window, to say that he brought some experience. “Most of the players recruited have played in a major league, so they have a level of requirement and references. It is important to set an example for our young players. »
One of the elements put forward by the Norwegian coach is the need to raise the level of performance of the core, while helping the young elements to grow a little more in contact with players like Perica or Zinckernagel, 27 years old each. Fossey, Melegoni and Alzate are 23 each, but already have a certain idea of high level.
Deila returned individually to each of his latest recruits:
Stipe Perica: “He has to help us be efficient, he’s a good finisher.”
Filippo Melegoni: “He has a very good technique, he runs a lot. He is ready, physically, he showed it in the last minutes (against Ostend).”
Marlon Fossey : “He’s a typical right-back, strong and with a big running volume. He was injured (meniscus), but came back stronger. He has a good margin of improvement.”
Philip Zinckernagel : “I had already heard about it when he was playing in Norway (at Bodo-Glimt). It was a great opportunity to take.”
Steven Alzate: “He’s a box-to-box, who can bring his experience. He can use Standard to grow a little more.”
Tapsoba with the U23s, a possibility
In the radius of departures, the club has not lost any players in the last hours, and Abdoul Tapsoba has remained. “If we can still find a solution for him for a loan, we will think about it, explained Ronny Deila. He also has the possibility of playing with the U23s. He needs to take some playing time.”