Scerri strengthens Valletta ranks
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
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Valletta FC have recruited well in their their bid for Maltese Premier League honours next term, with latest capture Terence Scerri already targeting "lots of honours with this ambitious club".
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Reacquainting themselves with Premier League honours will be Valletta FC's mission next season and the Maltese side have boosted their chances via a slew of impressive signings, with latest capture Terence Scerri already targeting "lots of honours with this ambitious club".
Hibernians record
The capital outfit were unable to defend their 2007/08 title last term and finished runners-up behind Hibernians FC. But they have struck an early blow against their rivals by agreeing a five-year deal for Scerri, who notched 84 goals in 163 league outings for the titleholders and helped them claim last season's championship with an unmatched tally of 26 strikes. Suspended by his former club for disciplinary reasons ahead of their UEFA Champions League first qualifying round tie with FK Mogren last month, the 25-year-old Maltese international joins with the reputation of being one of the island's most devastating marksmen.
Time to move
"I am overjoyed to be joining a club like Valletta FC," he told uefa.com. "I found my feet with Hibernians but I thought that this would be the ideal time to move on. I am ready for this new challenge and predict that I will win lots of honours with this ambitious club, who have invested in a big way and will surely challenge for all the top major honours in the domestic game."
New faces
Scerri, who began his career at youth level with St. George's FC before joining Hibernians in 2000/01, has now joined up with his new team-mates at their one-week training camp in the Netherlands. He is far from being the only new face either, with the Citizens having also secured the services of Dutch duo Jordi Cruyff and Geert Den Ouden, along with Maltese Under-21 international Steve Borg.
Cruyff class
Former FC Barcelona and Manchester United FC midfielder Cruyff has already displayed his class too, helping Valletta to a 5-2 aggregate win over Keflavík in the UEFA Europa League first qualifying round before Saint Patrick's Athletic FC proved too strong in the next stage. He looks certain to play a central role as Ton Caanen's men aim to unseat Hibernians, the champions having also bidden farewell to another high-profile performer in Clayton Failla, the current Maltese Player of the Year, now on the books of Sliema Wanderers FC.
