Lokomotive Bryggen
2020-08: Trades galore
Written 24 February 2020, 10:37
As expected, Lokomotive Bryggen finished at the middle of the table in a rather dull 2020-08 season.
As dull as the season was on the pitch, as exiting was it off the field: The starting 11 saw a massive overhaul never seen before in the club’s 55 previous seasons:
First, the replacement at left midfield was found in 28 year old Brazilian Aurelio Ardiles who set the club back 7.2M.
Then Danish club legend Jonas Truelsen was sold for 6.5M – a profit of 1.5M. Truelsen played 700 matches for Bryggen – more than any other player in history. Truelsen somehow managed to get a red card twice in his last few matches resulting in six days of suspension, but the fans will nevertheless have fond memories of him for a long time. Truelsen’s replacement was already at the club as fellow Dane Viggo Stokholm, 28 was brought in the season before for 10M.
Next man out the door was a big surprise. Faeroese right defender and team captain Carli Aagard (89 games) was suddenly sold to Nicjoh United for a massive 10M. That sends a 3.5M profit directly onto Bryggen’s books and apparently that was too big a temptation to the management. New at the position is 29 year old Swede Lukas Thunstrøm who is also the new team captain. Thunstrøm set the club back 6.55M.
Then, in the post-season things went totally out of control: First, 31 year old German Ernest Bechstein (465 games, 60 goals) was sold due to age and replaced with Icelander Larus Tryggvason. Tryggvason (13.6M) has been with the club for some seasons now and has already played 59 matches so there is no uncertainty about whether he is ready to take over.
Secondly, defensive midfielder Ejnar Kuhlmann was sold with a profit of 2.5M. His replacement has not been found yet.
Finally, Frenchman Arsene Gariel was shipped off to the Dutch Eredivisie for 16M, resulting in a profit of 1.9M. He was replaced with 28 year old Ukranian Adam Vovk (6.75M).
All that trading obviously had a big impact on the financial statement. On top of that, VIFA pays out bonuses for miscellaneous financial achievements so all in all, Bryggen finished the season with a massive plus of 20.2M. The club has never before brought home that much money in one season.
For next season, Bryggen is moving south of the border to play in the English Premier League. A week ago, we would have predicted a finish around the middle of the table, but the many changes in player personnel makes it very difficult to play that guessing game. Furthermore, the two Italians Paganin (FC) and Folena (DC) are closing in on their 31st birthday, and they will probably be sold very soon. When that happens, Bryggen will only have three players (Mikoyan, Hlinka, Hansbury) that has played more than 100 matches for the team. It will be very exiting to see if all the new players will be able to form a team during season 2020-09. Time will tell.
As dull as the season was on the pitch, as exiting was it off the field: The starting 11 saw a massive overhaul never seen before in the club’s 55 previous seasons:
First, the replacement at left midfield was found in 28 year old Brazilian Aurelio Ardiles who set the club back 7.2M.
Then Danish club legend Jonas Truelsen was sold for 6.5M – a profit of 1.5M. Truelsen played 700 matches for Bryggen – more than any other player in history. Truelsen somehow managed to get a red card twice in his last few matches resulting in six days of suspension, but the fans will nevertheless have fond memories of him for a long time. Truelsen’s replacement was already at the club as fellow Dane Viggo Stokholm, 28 was brought in the season before for 10M.
Next man out the door was a big surprise. Faeroese right defender and team captain Carli Aagard (89 games) was suddenly sold to Nicjoh United for a massive 10M. That sends a 3.5M profit directly onto Bryggen’s books and apparently that was too big a temptation to the management. New at the position is 29 year old Swede Lukas Thunstrøm who is also the new team captain. Thunstrøm set the club back 6.55M.
Then, in the post-season things went totally out of control: First, 31 year old German Ernest Bechstein (465 games, 60 goals) was sold due to age and replaced with Icelander Larus Tryggvason. Tryggvason (13.6M) has been with the club for some seasons now and has already played 59 matches so there is no uncertainty about whether he is ready to take over.
Secondly, defensive midfielder Ejnar Kuhlmann was sold with a profit of 2.5M. His replacement has not been found yet.
Finally, Frenchman Arsene Gariel was shipped off to the Dutch Eredivisie for 16M, resulting in a profit of 1.9M. He was replaced with 28 year old Ukranian Adam Vovk (6.75M).
All that trading obviously had a big impact on the financial statement. On top of that, VIFA pays out bonuses for miscellaneous financial achievements so all in all, Bryggen finished the season with a massive plus of 20.2M. The club has never before brought home that much money in one season.
For next season, Bryggen is moving south of the border to play in the English Premier League. A week ago, we would have predicted a finish around the middle of the table, but the many changes in player personnel makes it very difficult to play that guessing game. Furthermore, the two Italians Paganin (FC) and Folena (DC) are closing in on their 31st birthday, and they will probably be sold very soon. When that happens, Bryggen will only have three players (Mikoyan, Hlinka, Hansbury) that has played more than 100 matches for the team. It will be very exiting to see if all the new players will be able to form a team during season 2020-09. Time will tell.
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