After a season and a half spell at Athletic Bilbao, I applied for the role of manager at Stuttgart – a club that was built by Mark Scott with patience and proper scouting. If it was not for poor performances on the pitch, Mark would have continued at this job. One man’s loss is another man’s gain. After taking over, I along with my coaching department understood the pressure of being a big and able squad in Div 5 and the expectations of everyone around us to finish as high as possible. So we analyzed the strengths and weaknesses, holes and surplus of the squad, and did some tweaks to the squad which could able to compete on all fronts if not win all of them

TRANSFERS

Our biggest and only transfer at the start of the season was to sell Eric Martel for 3 talents Yorbe VERTESSEN Danila PROKHIN and Pablo SOLARI from Espanyol. Big eyebrows were raised when Martel was sold even before the reviews were done but the offer (in our opinion) was too good to turn down. We signed one more player Bojan MIOVSKI from external and we took a short break till June due to personal commitments. After a 2 month slumber, we woke up and became active again in the transfer market. We initially started getting rid of players to external, who had no market value and had no future in our squad either and got some squad space to bring in new ones. We completed some active transfers with many clubs (which will be tabled below) that improved our starting XI and also helped in building our academy.

Not THE WORLD BEATERS but on the whole, we are happy with our new signings and how our team has shaped up.

PERFORMANCES

Building a good team but not showing our results on the pitch is not a good way to lead a side as a manager. During our pre season, we sat down along with each and every member of the squad, understood the realities and brainstormed what was achievable and what was not. We, as a Div 5 club, still a work in progress - can’t win everything at one go. ROME WAS NOT BUILT IN A DAY. So we decided that the league and promotion is our top priority and we would fight with everything we got. Regarding Cups and Shield, we decided to give our best and go as far as possible – you know, extra revenue and extra exposure against big clubs is always helpful for our team.

We had a high flying start to the season and had won 8, drawn 2 and lost just one in first 11 matches – massive 26 points from 33 points. But then our slump started, in our next 14 games, we had only 1 win, 7 drawn, 6 losses – embarrassing 10 points from 42 points. Ending of this slump coincided with our wake-up call when we became active in transfer market and started strengthening our squad. In last phase of 13 games, we had 8 wins, 3 draws and 2 losses – decent 27 points from 39 points. Sudden turn of form in last set of games helped us finish 2nd in the league and achieve an automatic promotion which was our target from beginning. If it wasn’t for that, surely we would have gone as low as below Top 10 and history would have been repeated. Again.As far as Cup and Shield are concerned, we were eliminated in Round 2 of the Cup tournament while we went till Semis in Shield tournament knocking out some big guns on the way and we are pleased with our performances.

Overall, we may not have had an EXCELLENT season but in our standards, it is a massive achievement and we gained a promotion which was long standing dream for our fans. Celebrations and parties started all over the city and accolades arriving from all ends. Baby Steps – I’m sure we’ll perform even better next season. Congratulations from people of Stuttgart to all the Title winners.

The following 4 clubs are available to apply for NOW - you have 36 hours so lets say 6pm tomorrow evening is the deadline - that way after game 38 all 4 can be appointed and help start the merry go round.

1. BENFICA (Division 1 - any applicant MUST commit to the Youth Cup)
2. TOTTENHAM (Division 2 next season)
3. REAL MADRID (Division 2 or 1 next season) manager wont move until after play offs - but deadline still tomorrow.
4. ANDERLECHT (Division 3 next season)

Please note you can apply for multiple jobs on the same application. Just state so.

After several seasons of growth and development, Leicester City have seen a mass exodus of youth talent, which will continue into next season. Long term frontman Gabriel Martinelli and defensive leader Micky van de Ven have both turned 22 and so will not be eligible for next years youth cup.
This loss of talent has been compounded with the departures of youth talents such as Lucas Chevalier, Stefano Turati, Illya Zabarnyi, Ameen Al Dhakil, Nathan Wood, Rayan Ait Nouri, Moises Caicedo, Noah Lepenant, Fabio Miretti, Khalil Fayad, Dijon Kameri and Giuliano Simeone all within the last month.
In light of these moves, we have looked at younger up and coming options, which has been helped by an influx of youths added to the system. We have also managed to add some major names too who will join the youth squad.

Assan Ouedraogo, 17, was the first of five new 65 rated youngsters. He joined as an addition to the deal which saw Aymeric Laporte, 29, leave. Ouedraogo is already a towering presence in midfield standing at 192cm tall, he also possesses great vision, passing, ball control and tackling. Having turned 17 in May, he has not yet made a senior appearance for Schalke, but stood out for the U19 team last season scoring 7 goals and assisting 2 in his 13 appearances, all whilst still aged just 16! Capping off a solid season, Ouedraogo was part of the Germany U17 team who lifted the UEFA U17 Euro trophy this summer. He has now joined the senior Schalke team who were relegated to the 2.Bundesliga, so hopefully he will get an opportunity to impress.
The next 65 rated to join was Tom Watson, 17, of Sunderland. Similarly to Ouedraogo he only turned 17 a couple of months ago, however, he has already made his senior debut. He spent last season splitting time between the U18 and U21 teams making a total of 20 appearances (all but 2 of which were whilst he was just 16). He netted 7 goals and assisted 9 more in those games, and was rewarded with a sub appearance for the 1st team just 10 days after turning 17. Sunderland have put full faith in their youth recently and it looks like a great destination for any youngster to be and hopefully Watson can take the next step and get more senior game time this season.
Another unchallenged free agent addition was Mert Komur, 18, who joined on his birthday. He spent the whole of last season aged 17 but was a mainstay in the U19 squad where he contributed 4 goals and 6 assists in 16 games from midfield. This form impressed Augsburg so much that they moved him to the 2nd team and making 10 appearances with 2 goals and an assist. During this time, he was the youngest player in the team. He was on the bench for the senior team for the final game of the season, and has now moved to the senior team for the 23/24 season.
The defence received reinforcements in the form of Javier Bonar, 18, who was was a lowly competed for new free agent addition. The youngster is seen as one of Atletico Madrid's top prospects and has already captained Spain U18. He broke into the Atletico 2nd team this season helping them gain promotion, and is expected to develop on that in the upcoming season. He has played at RB, CB, LB and CM this season, so will hopefully gain the ability to play all across the back in the near future.
The final low youth to arrive was Tudor Mendel-Idowu,18, who had a strong season in the Chelsea U18 team netting 6 and assisting 3 in 12 games. Like many youths at Chelsea, he has doubts about his long term opportunities at the club, and so has not signed a new deal at the club. He had looked likely to join Barcelona, but seems to now favour RSC Anderlecht as they offered him a first team squad spot. Either way, the youngster has great talent and is thought to be a major loss for Chelsea.

Rated significantly higher at 76, Luca D'Andrea, 18, has also joined the Foxes. At 18, D'Andrea has already has 5 Serie A appearances for Sassuolo, and impressed in Primivera 1 with 8 goals and 6 assists. He also joined Italy U19 as they won the UEFA U19 Euro's this summer. With Domenico Bernardi linked with a move away from Sassuolo, that could open up opportunities for D'Andrea to get more game time.

The first big name youth to join was Ryan Gravenberch, 21, who came as part of a 7 player deal from Genoa. Whilst he didn't impress as much as planned at Bayern in real life, the youngster is poised for a big season as the German outfit look to transition to their younger players. At 88, he will be the highest rated youth in the team next season, and will also come into the senior team when needed.
Kristijan Asllani, 21, is the most recent "addition" (joining after his transfer ban), coming for his 2nd stint at the club. The Albanian joined Inter in real life last season and played a smaller role, but with Brozovic now gone, the youngster will hope to get more game time. His passing and positioning make him a top option, and Inter will look to utilise this a lot more this season. If he becomes a regular he could be an 88 by next summer.

And the gem... Arda Guler, 18, joined in a mega deal from Espanyol. However, the potential is sky high. Having joined Real Madrid this season, I am hopeful he will follow the trajectories of Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior at Real. He already got a +5 to 85, making him a great youth option and a cup player too for me. Guler is poised to be a real gem for the future, with the potential return on investment through the roof, whether that be in his performances for me, or in a future sale. I do, however, foresee him remaining at the club for a long time.

It's clear to see my focus has shifted away from high rated youths in an attempt to improve the 1st team, but we have added some new readymade top talents and also some great low prospects too. It will be an interesting season in real life for all of these player and I look forward to seeing how they pan out!

After 6 weeks in the Udinese hotspot and having had time to fully assess the worthwhile players we have at Udinese I feel we may be ready to do business.

We have been slow to act in the market as I needed to assess what we had, and really think things through, there have been many offers but none worthy of serious consideration.

However, as we approach August 8th I am ready to do business now, I'm not one for advance transfers unless I clearly win it :) so maybe not worth asking me for an advance transfer.

I am happy to let GK Walter Benitez and Zaver Schlager go right now, Kounde the main man in demand will need something really nice, a 241 with a replacement involved at least.

Those that know me will know I'm not one for wholesale changes so don't expect a deluge of activity.

I am a fair manager and ask for fairness in return, there are some wonderful assets here so please don't offer me any old rubbish for my players as I'll probably ignore it for a week before rejecting it.

I am also open to letting the two Leeds lads go and open to negotiations for all squad players around 87/88 rated, the hot youngsters are available too, but please remember no 87 rated 29-year-old px offers please.

In a nutshell apart from letting Schlager and Benitez go I have no idea of our transfer direction, so if you have read this far and have a proposal please get in touch.

As with every season, the reviews are the most intriguing part of squad building. Well timed rises can set you up for a mid season push, increase a players sale value or keep you on track for future progress. Unfortunate drops or missed rises can put you on the back foot in the league, scupper transfer plans, or annoy you so much that you destroy your own team and reputation.

Despite now sitting in Division 1, Leicester City are still heavily looking to the reviews to propel us forward, and with that in mind, here are my hopes and expectations for the upcoming (eventually) reviews.

GK - Aaron Ramsdale - 90 (+1)
Ramsdale has been our starter for a year and a half having arrived rated 88. Now at 90 he is secured in the position, and will hopefully jump up after Arsenals successful season. He has played every league minute for the Gunners as they settled for a 2nd place finish pulling off some world class saves along the way. Some major errors also popped up, especially in the run in, and with an overall theme of inconsistency I think he will be limited to only a +1. If Arsenal had been able to secure the title or he was the international #1 then there could have been a push for 92, but at this stage, I don't believe that would be an option.

GK - Lucas Chevalier - 83 (+3)
It is always hard to judge the rises of low rated players who have broken into the 1st team, especially with the inconsistency of SM, but I think Chevalier would be very hard done by to end up at anything lower than 86. After a great loan at Ligue 2 side Valenciennes FC last season, Lille opted to give him a chance. After 6 games on the bench, Chevalier took the starting role and has played every game since. He has been the number 1 ranked U21 goalkeeper in the Top 5 leagues this season, and has been linked with a move to Man United and tipped as a future France international. With Lille finishing 5th in the league, Chevalier should be locked in at +3 at least.

GK - Stefano Turati - 82 (+2)
Whether Turati falls into the Top 5 reviews remains to be seen. He is out on loan from Sassuolo at Serie B Champions Frosinone, and so may be included in the review as part of either team. His performances this season have been exceptional playing 37 league games (he was rested for the last game of the season) in which he conceded just 24 goals and kept 20 clean sheets. This puts him 4th for Clean Sheets in Top 5 league nations (1st and 2nd Division). His progression looks promising, with the options to either remain at Frosinone for their Serie A season, or head back to Sassuolo to challenge Andrea Consigli for the starting role after a dire season for the 36-year-old. Either way, if he is to be reviewed, a +2 would be a fair return for what has been an outstanding season.

CB - Ibrahima Konate - 90 (+1)
This one is probably the biggest stretch but certainly wouldn't be a surprise. Since the December review Konate has played 90 minutes in 21/28 of Liverpool's matches (5 of the 7 missed were through an injury in February), as well as starting in all 3 of Frances European Qualifying matches. He has also picked up a 6.87 average this season making him the 11th best ranked CB in the Premier League (players over 15 games). Whilst on paper his season looks stop start, he has been great since the last review period, and so could well see a rise coming up.

CB - Jakub Kiwior - 85 (+1/2)
After a +2 to 85 in December and a move to Arsenal, Kiwior could see himself hitting 86 or 87 this summer. Despite not setting the world alight, Kiwior took the starting role off Rob Holding whilst William Saliba was absent, featuring in 8 games for Arsenal, as well as representing Poland at the World Cup. This is one where the move alone may be a factor in a rise, but he has given a decent account of himself too which could help in the decision too.

CB - Micky van de Ven - 84 (+3)
Joining last May, van de Ven was always seen as a long project, and that patience is paying off now. A +4 in December should be followed by another good rise this summer. He has played 90 minutes in all but 1 game for Wolfsburg this season, giving him the 2nd most league minutes of any outfield player in the Bundesliga this season. The Dutchman has attracted interest from a host of clubs, with Liverpool heavily linked with a move for him. After such a strong season a rise to 87 would be the minimum he deserves bringing him into first team back up contention for me.

RB - Bafode Diakite - 84 (+2/3)
Despite securing RB for a while with the signing of Nordi Mukiele, Diakite was a great addition for us to make as he is young and versatile with CB and LB in his locker too. After joining Lille in August, Diakite has played 36 games in all competitions, missing just 4 games, helping the team to a 5th place finish. Despite a similar season to van de Ven in terms of matches played and performance, I think a +2 is more likely here, with a chance of a +3. This is primarily based on the league and also transfer interest and international representation.

CM - Ferreira Vitinha - 89 (+1)
A landmark signing for us, Vitinha will hopefully be one of our starting CM's for years to come. The 23-year-old has made himself a staple of the PSG team after a €41.5 million move in the summer. He has played 48 games for the French champions this season, 40 of which have been starts. He has chipped in with 2 goals and 3 assists in the league, and represented Portugal at the World Cup. It has been a solid start to life in Paris, but he will hope to improve in the future. At PSG he has potential to rise to much higher levels, making him a key long term option for me, but for now I think he will hit 90.

CM - Moises Caicedo - 88 (+2)
The second part of our long them CM plan, Caicedo's development could be hugely impacted by his next move, but for now we focus on the present. Featuring in all but 1 of Brighton's league games this season, Caicedo has turned in eye watering performances and has been one of the stars of the season, not just at Brighton, but in the Premier League. He has earned a 6.95 average in midfield, making him the 10th best performer in the league at the position and is now linked with a number of clubs including Arsenal and Chelsea. With some clubmates already at 90, Caicedo will surely be the next one to reach that rating.

CM - Salis Abdul Samed - 86 (+2)
One of the surprise teams of the season this year were RC Lens, who pushed PSG to the line in Ligue 1, finishing 2nd, just a point behind the Parisian powerhouse. Samed has been a key part of that success as he featured in all but 5 games (4 through suspension, 1 through injury). Playing in a defensive midfield role, Samed was one of the main reasons that Lens put up the best defensive record in Ligue 1, and 3rd best in the Top 5 leagues behind just Barcelona and Napoli. He also represented Ghana at the World Cup to add to his impressive season. His performances earned him a spot in the GFFN Ligue 1 team of the season and a contract extension at Lens as they get ready to take on the Champions League. A rise to 88 would be fitting for now, with the potential to then push on into the 90s like Seko Fofana has done.

CM - Johann Lepenant - 85 (+1/2)
Another Ligue 1 mover, Lepenant joined Lyon in the summer and has made a good start to life at the club. Featuring in 31 league games, the 20-year-old has been a regular in the team playing at both DM and CM. A 6.65 average is a fine start, but he will hope to push on as he develops at the club. For now, a +1 is probably a realistic expectation, although a +2 would also not be a shock.

CM - Fabio Miretti - 85 (+1)
The CM overload continues with another young gem. At 19, Miretti has already featured in 47 matches for Juventus, 40 of which have come this season. 22 of those this season have been starts, a stat he will surely look to build on next season. Despite this, he has been solid, although not outstanding. A loan move is possibly on the cards to get him more game time, but at 19, his increase in game time this season should warrant a rise to 86.

CM - Habib Diarra - 78 (+4)
Having played just 4 senior games in his career ahead of this season, Diarra's role at Strasbourg was unclear heading into the season. But by matchday 4 he was a starter, and by the end of the season he is considered one of Strasbourg's most valuable assets. Despite being naturally a DM, Diarra has been utilised consistently further up at CM and AM, as well as both wings at LM, RM and RW. His skillset seems to adapt wherever he plays ad he has picked up 3 goals and 3 assists when playing in more advanced roles. After a strong season he is now linked with a move away, with Wolves and Aston Villa both keen. Based on previous rises, a +4 to 82 is what I'm expecting.

CM - Khalil Fayad - 73 (+5)
Another promising Ligue 1 midfielder, Fayad only turned 19 last week and racked up over 700 minutes this season whilst 18. While he is not a regular yet, he has started 8 games for Montpellier, as well as coming off the bench a further 17 times. Another hard increase to judge, but I think his contribution has been similar to the first half of the season for Diarra, so a +5 to 78 would probably make sense.

AM - Martin Odegaard - 92 (+1/2)
The club captain and one of my untouchable players, Odegaard is the heart of the team, both in game at Leicester and real life at Arsenal. Starting all but 1 game in the League, Odegaard has picked up 15 goals and 8 assists for Arsenal this season earning a 7.29 average rating in the process. This put him in the Top 10 of all players in the Prem. Surprisingly there is not much else as the stats speak for themselves! I think a +1 is a guarantee, and a +2 would not be a shock at all in this scenario.

Wing - Martinelli - 90 (+2)
Another of my stars from Arsenal and another long term option for me at Leicester, Martinelli joined rated 83, and should now hit 92 in the Summer. In a career best season the Brazilian scored 15 league goals and assisted 5 more in 34 starts, making him the teams joint top scorer, as well as the 12th best performing player in the league. He is ranked 2nd for the highest rated U21 in the league, beaten only by teammate Bukayo Saka, and 4th in the Top 5 leagues behind only Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Jamal Musiala (over 20 games). He is in good standing to hit 92 and with that become one of my top players.

Wing - Patrick Wimmer - 85 (+2)
A returnee after breifly being sold, Wimmer is now looking like a fantastic prospect. A 6.99 average at Wolfsburg ranks him as one of the Top 10 U21 players in the Top 5 leagues this season. Despite being at a new team and suffering some injuries Wimmer netted 4 goals and assisted 8 more in 23 league starts. He is has also started Austria's past 2 matches setting him up nicely to continue in the International team. Similarly to van de Ven, I think Wimmer should end up at 87 with a good chance of rising further as he continues to develop.

CF - Julio Enciso - 82 (+2/3)
One of the key members of the sale of Paulo Dybala, Enciso is now showing us exactly what he can do. On top of having to wait until matchday 14 to get his first minutes of the season, he only started 1 game in the opening 30 matches, contributing 1 goal in those matches. He then started 7 of the last 10 games, playing 45 minutes of 2 of those he didn't start. To return the managers faith, he delivered 3 goals (v Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City) and assisted 2 more. His goal against Manchester City has since been voted the goal of the season. At 19-years-old, Enciso looks to be the next gem product of Brighton, and there are early rumours of clubs looking to poach him from their set up. His overall season warrants a +2, but the run in could see that boosted up to a +3 to 85.

As always, it is hard to judge, and so I am sure some of these wont come off, or some will be over or under compensated, but time will tell (lots of time apparently).
Hopefully they will continue with Germany soon!

ZSP manager Mark Stewart was happily planning how to keep the Russian club in Division 2 when Top 100 supremo Sir Stephen Beddows sent a chance message to the Welshman

'Do you want Udinese? they have 200 players due to the former manager's incompetence but good talents to work with.' Stewart said ' initially I thought no way I'm leaving Zenit, I love tag team bear wrestling with Uncle Vlad, and the crisp winters'

However after further consideration, I realized it would be a good move for the benefit of the game world and myself to take the job, so sadly I said farewell to the fine city of St Petersburg and took a flight to Udinese.

Initial thoughts on the squad have been some cracking assets. I have had a lot of inquiries, now as everyone knows I'm not one for mass transfer deals and never do advance deals

I do want to make subtle changes and improve the squad in my own way, but right now when I look at the squad page seeing 190-odd players makes me want to throw up

People who know me will know I like to win, I think the current squad is easily good enough to get promoted so I will only do deals that I think will improve us immediately and in the future

The majority of the offers received so far have not tempted me, I know Kounde will interest the top clubs and I'm happy to eventually let him go, however until I can get rid of all the 60-odd-rated rubbish in the first week of August I do not really want to contemplate transfers unless I get an offer I cannot refuse

Results wise I suffered a nightmare start with 5 successive defeats, however, we have turned things around with 2 wins on the spin, the most recent being top-of-the-table Southampton.

With 5 promotions under my belt in T100 I won't be wasting any time and hope to get promoted this season and make it 6

As a footnote, I thank everyone once again for the messages and offers for players, but if you want to get a deal done with me before August then make sure your sending a juicy tempter

I'm staying with Udinese long term unless sacked at any point and really think I can turn them into a top division one club, thanks for reading, and have a nice day