Botev (Vratsa) realizes a large-scale incoming transfer in the North-West, just hours after the heavy home defeat with 0:3 from Slavia in a match from the 4th round of the domestic championship.
The club's management reacted quickly to the problems in the defensive plan in order to strengthen its squad for the upcoming challenges.
The new addition to Vratsa is the 19-year-old Bulgarian central defender Martin Dimitrov, who arrives under Okolchitsa on a permanent transfer from the Italian giants Sampdoria. The tall defender, 190 centimeters tall, is a CSKA 1948 youth player, from where he was sold to Italy in early 2025. Now he is returning to Bulgaria after signing an official contract with Botev Vratsa for a period of 3 years, according to official sources from the club (Source: sportal.bg/news-2026081106320355559).
The transfer news comes immediately after the disappointing match against Slavia, in which Botev was left with 10 men on the field due to a red card for captain Ivan Goranov in the 70th minute. A forced substitution of goalkeeper Marin Orlinov followed, which led to the classic success for the “whites” with goals from Roberto Raichev and two goals from Vasil Kazaldzhiev (Source: bnrnews.bg/main/post/513989/slaviya-pobedi-botev-vav-vratsa-i-postigna-parvi-uspeh-prez-sezona).
Here's what the two head coaches shared after the end of the match in Vratsa:
Todor Simov: Everything went wrong after Slavia's first goal
The home team's coach did not hide his huge disappointment with the development of the match and emphasized that his plans collapsed after the first goal was conceded.
"We performed well in the first half. After the goal, however, everything went completely wrong. In one specific situation, a red card and a serious injury to our goalkeeper Marin Orlinov came together. We tried to take a risk to get back into the game, but we conceded a second and third goal. At the moment, these are our options and we hope to improve in the future. We are starting preparations for the match against CSKA on Sunday, and in the coming days it will become clear what the extent of Orlinov's injury is," commented Simov (Source: sportal.bg/news-2026081018123133442).
Ratko Dostanic: Let's not fall into unnecessary euphoria
The head coach of Slavia was extremely satisfied with his team's first success of the season, but called on his players to remain calm.
"We dedicate this victory to our little angels who are watching us from heaven, and to their families. I thank the players because they gave absolutely everything on the pitch. Before the break, Botev (Vratsa) was perhaps the more dangerous and better team, but in the second half we managed to make the most of our situations. These three points are extremely important for our self-confidence, but we should not fall into euphoria. We respect every opponent, but we are not afraid of anyone", said Dostanich (Source: sportal.bg/news-2026081018083374611).
With the signing of Martin Dimitrov from Sampdoria, the Botev (Vratsa) coaching staff hopes to stabilize the core of their defense for the away game against CSKA, while in the Slavia camp the focus is already shifting to the Sofia derby with Levski.