FC Basel has wiped up the mess from last season and wants to attack again. Back to international business is the goal set by sporting director Daniel Stucki.
19.07.2024, 16:53
19.07.2024, 17:08
SDA
Not Xherdan Shaqiri, not Riccardo Calafiori, not Renato Veiga. Popillia Japonica is the name that has been discussed the most in Basel during the summer preparations. It's not a potential new arrival, but a pest that they want to get rid of as quickly as possible at the Rheinknie.
Even on this bright and beautiful Friday afternoon, the Japanese beetle is at work in northern Switzerland, causing damage to agricultural crops and public green spaces, including an FC Basel training pitch. Accordingly, it is a topic of discussion at the media conference in St. Jakob-Park, albeit only marginally. Of more interest are the comments from head coach Fabio Celestini and sporting director Daniel Stucki, who provide an insight into the preparations and look ahead to the season opener in Lausanne on Sunday (4.30pm).
Celestini speaks of "very good preparation", the "right path" they are on, a "process" and "positive signals", without going into more detail on the individual points. They had a lot of fun at the training camp in Seefeld, Austria. "Everyone was happy when José's shake was ready," adds Stucki. By José, he means José Blesa. The Spaniard is a big name, has worked with Cristiano Ronaldo in recent years and is now part of the Basel coaching staff as a nutritionist - a first for FCB. Every stone has been turned over, every opportunity for improvement, no matter how small, is to be exploited. Because a season like the last one should not happen again.
Back to international business
The memories are far from blurred. It hurt too much when they were humiliated by newly promoted Stade Lausanne-Ouchy in their own stadium, here, where Manchester United and Bayern were once beaten, where the greats of European football were guests. They were bottom of the table at one point. After four defeats in a row and without scoring a goal in the whole of October, the fans, who were used to success, had to listen to a few jibes from the competition.
The turnaround only came with the signing of Fabio Celestini. He, who stands for offensive, attractive football, managed to lift the team, which was lying on the ground, and give it defensive stability. Even if there were setbacks here and there, the direction was right. Although FCB failed to qualify for the championship round, they were able to rid themselves of all relegation worries early on and finished the season in 8th place.
In the new season, things should continue to improve. Step by step, as Celestini says. From Stucki's mouth it sounds like this: "We want to be among the top six teams and get back into international business. A club as big as FCB belongs on this stage." These are brash tones in Basel.
Transfer policy brings in millions
Daniel Stucki has been sports director at FCB since May. With FC Zurich, the now 42-year-old became Swiss champion three times and won the cup once. After retiring, Stucki spent ten years with the Basel police force in various roles. In 2020, he re-entered the football business and became FCB's director of youth development. He now has overall responsibility for sport at the former serial champions.
One of his first official acts was the sale of Renato Veiga to Chelsea. The 20-year-old Portuguese player brought 14 million euros into the club's coffers. Not a bad deal when you consider that FCB had released Veiga from Sporting Lisbon for 4.6 million euros a year ago and the talented midfielder had only rarely shown his class in the red and blue shirt.
The sale of Veiga had not been planned or budgeted for. "However, we couldn't turn down such an offer," says Stucki. Time and again in the past, Basel has proven to be lucky with transfers. Dan Ndoye, Andy Diouf, Zeki Amdouni and Riccardo Calafiori came for comparatively little money and left St. Jakob-Park with a hefty transfer fee. Thanks to their negotiating skills, Ndoye and, above all, Calafiori could subsequently earn millions.
More sustainability and continuity
Only part of the money will be reinvested. On Thursday, Basel announced the signing of Marin Soticek. The 19-year-old Croatian comes from his home country of NK Lokomotiva and cost 3 million euros. "We will make one or two more transfers," says Stucki, without naming names. Rumors have been circulating for weeks about the possible return of Xherdan Shaqiri. "Of course we are interested in players with the quality of Shaqiri," says Stucki. But the overall construct has to be realistic in order to enter into talks. At the moment, this is not the case.
Reinforcements are desired. However, the sports director's task is to streamline the current squad of around 30 players. There will be no more upheaval in Basel like in the last two years. "We want to work more sustainably and have learned from the last transfer periods," says Stucki, adding: "We need more sustainability and continuity."
Celestini repeatedly echoes the same sentiment on this Friday afternoon. When asked about the importance of a successful start against Lausanne, he says: "Winning is always important in football, it speeds up the process. But speed is not so important. Football is a marathon, not a sprint."
In Basel, they haven't just known since last season, but at least since the infestation of the Japanese beetle: patience brings success.
