It’s been a tumultuous time over in Basel in recent months, with the last 3 managers failing to contribute anything meaningful in terms of trophies, playstyle or consistancy and getting relegated from Division 3 with an abyssmal 15 points making their points tally the second worst in the top 5 divisions during Season 25. The fans taking to social media to berate the previous 3 managers and protesting outside of St. Jakob-Park with the common theme between fans being their beloved Basel had never looked the same since the mighty Josh McMillan left and that Basel looked like they were only going one way, and that was backwards.
I took on the role at Basel knowing this club, like so many others in the Top 100, need a manager that thinks of the future. The club had 2 fantastic players in Merino and Grealish alongside only 4 players rated 88 or above, with two of them being Thiago Silva and Olivier Giroud whos combined age is 78 and alongside this, Basel had a squad size of 36 with only 8 players under 23.
The plan was simple in theory, harder in execution. Increase the overall quality in the starting 11 whilst investing in the neglected youth project.
And so it began, minutes led to hours of messaging, thinking, analysing the squad, getting out the excel trying to find micro improvements across the board, then the first set of transfers hit, and they were outbounds…
We had to say goodbye to Grealish and Merino to pad the team out, and got 8 players in return. With 35 incomings and 21 outgoings, the team was well underway into becoming a mix of quality and prospect.
Major First Team Signings
Orkun KOKCU
The 24 year old turkish international was part of the first major bit of business undertaken at Basel, packaged together with a 22 year old Yeremay Hernandez, a top talent in Noah EDJOUMA with a futher two under 23 defenders (a major weak area in the youth setup already). A like for like replacement, here’s hoping he can really perform whilst on loan at Beşiktaş.
Jadon SANCHO
Looking to revive his career, Sancho was used in a 3 man deal for the in-form Grealish and will be a critical piece of a new look attack. Sancho is 1 of 3 new first team offensive players who will all be looking to feed the ever present Giroud. Blessed with extreme technical ability at a young age, Basel are hoping he can control his temperament enough to become the main man at Basel and get the best out of his prime years.
Wilfried ZAHA
Zaha combines explosive pace, direct dribbling, and strength with a consistent attacking output, making him a constant danger in wide areas and a reliable outlet in transition. An opportunity to sign someone with a lot of experience was too good to turn down, sending Neuhaus to Sampdoria was what was needed to get that deal over the line, at 32 he does not fit the age profile of what we were looking at but sometimes a deal pops up that you have to just grab.
Arnaut DANJUMA
Arnaut Danjuma is a quick, direct winger who thrives in 1v1 situations thanks to his sharp dribbling and explosive acceleration. He is versatile in attack, capable of cutting inside from the left to shoot or drifting wide to stretch defenses. With good technical ability and composure in front of goal, he provides both creativity and a scoring threat. At 28 Danjuma represents a solid investment if he can find his form of 2021 on loan at Valencia.
Amine HARIT
Amine Harit is a creative attacking midfielder known for his close control, flair, and ability to glide past defenders in tight spaces. He thrives on linking play between midfield and attack, often driving forward with dribbles to unlock defenses. While more of a creator than a prolific scorer, his vision and technical skill make him a valuable playmaker. It’s a shame De Zerbi can’t see his talent at Marseille, but a move away could help him keep his 88 rating, at 28 this is another potentially solid transfer.
Alongside Musso (88), Niakhate (88), Silva (89) and Giroud (89) this gives Basel a strong spine and adds quality across the whole of midfield and attack.
Major Youth Investment
The youth team was where the new manager really wanted to stamp his mark and build a legacy at a club where youth has been neglected. Key under 23 players such as Marlon Gomes, Yeremary Hernandez, Charlie Hughes, Marius Worl and Matheus Alves, all getting plenty of minutes for their respective teams with solid sofascore ratings, were signed as part of a new look youth set up hoping to become decent players in the next few years.
Outside of these, there were a number of youth prospects signed aimed at giving Basel every chance to nurture a hidden gem, all of them getting high amounts of minutes for either the under 21/B teams of their respective clubs or getting small minutes for the first team.
Overall the FC Basel rebuild has so far been short but fast, not the best team in Division 4 but certainly not the worst, they could have easily been a team lost to time as neglect pushed them deeper down the abyss of the football pyramid. Who knows where they will end up, with an outuside chance of promotion it could just as easily be a year for celebration as it could stagnate. Time will tell but for now we take 1 game at a time, 3 points from the first game is a great start to life in the Top 100. Will Basel push for promotion? Will they unlock a gem? Let’s see….
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