CSKA will carry out a serious airing of the locker room for the first time in recent years after the end of the current disastrous season, writes "Sports Topic".
The Army will part with over half a dozen players and will attract at least as many more. This is part of the upcoming major changes announced by executive director Radoslav Zlatkov after the loss of the Bulgarian Cup final to Ludogorets. They will include coach Alexander Tomas, and a restructuring of the scouting department is also possible. It is very likely that Paulo Noga, who for the first time in his life will be responsible for the selection of a men's team, will trust his contractors from abroad to bring CSKA's summer signings.
A year ago, the Reds parted with 10 players and attracted 12, some of whom they will now wonder how to part with. The top spot on the blacklist is for Aaron Iseka, who was paid around 1 million euros and earns a huge salary, but did not record a single goal or assist for the entire season in the championship! The central striker did not even make it to the group for the final against Ludogorets, which is a clear signal that his days at Borisova Gradina are already numbered. Another issue is that Michy Batshuayi's brother has a contract for two more seasons with CSKA, and there is hardly a queue of candidate clubs for his signature. A solution will also have to be sought for the most expensive player in the squad - Liam Cooper, who also did not appear in the game in the cup final at all. The 33-year-old Scot is tied to the army for another season.
The contracts of Marcelino Careasso, Stanislav Shopov and Jonathan Lindseth have not yet been renewed and indications are that they will leave Borisova Gradina as free agents. The possibility of all three staying is close to zero.
The topic of the goalkeeping position is also delicate. Gustavo Busato has already recovered and will conduct a full summer training, which means that CSKA will once again have three guards with claims to a starting spot. It is very likely that one of the Brazilian, Ivan Dyulgerov and Fyodor Lapukhov will seek another solution for his career in the summer. A separation is also not ruled out for full-backs Ivan Turitsov and Mika Pinto, and we have already written that James Eto'o's contract contains a not very high buyout clause, which can be activated following the example of Godwin Koyalipu's winter transfer to Lens. Mathias Phaeton has long wanted to be sold and this will almost certainly happen in the coming weeks. A separation will also be sought with Jason Lokillo.
All these outgoing movements, as well as the team's ugly face throughout the season, will logically lead to quite a few incoming deals. The army men need reinforcements and competition in all field positions. The most serious hole will open in the middle of the field, where CSKA could potentially be left with only Skarshem, Ilian Iliev Jr. and the juniors Chorbadzhiyski and Panayotov. The situation on the wings is also critical, and at least two defenders and one central striker are needed. We have already written that the army team will attract at least two Bulgarian players in the summer. The total number of new players for the second summer in a row may be in double digits. So, in addition to hiring a new coach, CSKA has a lot of work ahead of it to complete the squad for next season, which should erase the shame of the last two.