Post by davejr on Sept 14, 2024 16:39:49 GMT
It has been a very busy week on the transfer market for Tampere Ilves and their new manager Dave Rosewell. After missing out on all 3 of his targets in the first round of the auction, he immediately got to work trying to bring in some fresh talent, as well as skimming down the squad.
Here is a quick run down of the deals that Ilves have completed so far:
- Reece James signed from Tottenham for £280,000,000
James was quite high on Dave Rosewell's target list, the England international will bring some extra creativity to Tampere's defence in the full back position, with him being able to play on either the right or left side. Although only 24, he will also bring some topflight experience from his time in the Superliga.
- Charlie Whittaker and Cameron King on loan from Tottenham
Also, during the same meeting with Tottenham manager Darren Lear, Dave Rosewell managed to secure the loan contracts of winger Charlie Whittaker and young hotshot Cameron King. This young duo is going to bring a lot of pace to the side and although only 17, King is already a proven goal scorer.
- Joao Duarte (+£40,000,000) signed from Wolves for Ville Seppä and Danila Bulgakov
Ilves signed Portuguese centre-back Joao Duarte as they look to add some extra strength and depth to their defence. The flexible Duarte can also play in the right full-back position if needed. Finnish keeper Ville Seppä and young Russian midfielder Danila Bulgakov went the other way with £40,000,000 also coming back to Ilves.
- Bukayo Saka signed from Manchester United in exchange for Lauri Ala-Myllymäki and Marius Söderbäck + £50,000,000
This is a huge deal for Ilves and second English international star to add to their ranks. He is another fast and skilful player and probably one of the all-time-best English wingers. He was one of England's top players during Euro 2024 and is only 22 years old. With him and Whittaker playing out wide, they are going to cause some havoc for defenders in the European Premier Division. Of course, Saka did not come cheap, with Finnish play-maker Lauri Ala-Myllymäki, 20-year-old prospect Marius Söderbäck, plus £50,000,000 due to go the other way.
- Mikel Merino from CoE auction round 2 for £566,000,000
The purchase of Spanish defensive midfielder, Mikel Merino from round 2 of the player auction smashed Ilves’ transfer record with an eyewatering fee of £566,000,000! All eyes are going to be on the play-maker once the season starts.