by The transfer season heads to a close as sides dive head first toward their goals. Mtarfa, Swieqi and Lija Athletic made the most announcements in the past weeks, while Valletta & San Gwann made strong captures. Hibernians bolstered with experience. Francesca Bartolo will head to Sassuolo. Besides player movements, strength & conditioning specialist, Nigel McCarthy, is also confirmed to move to Lexington Sporting Club in the USA, departing Birkirkara.
McCarthy Heads To The USA
Although much of the transfer news surrounds player movements, coaches’ contributions to the women’s sector has garnered plenty of attention in search of lifting the level of the women’s game.
Having spent three years with Birkirkara’s women’s team as their strength & conditioning coach, Nigel McCarthy has moved onto new pastures in the USA with Lexington Sporting Club as Head of Performance for both the women and men sectors. Birkirkara are yet to announce a replacement.
During his tenure with the team, the women’s team lifted five titles and captured three victories in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Meanwhile, McCarthy also had a hand with the men’s team, who also lifted the FA Trophy.
Nigel McCarthy’s signature with Birkirkara as their Strength & Conditioning coach was one that transformed the landscape in the attention given to the physical preparation of players in the women’s game in Malta. The development by Birkirkara’s women’s team has since instigated more clubs to focus on the physical side of things, with an increase in the number of dedicated fitness coaches across the league in the past few years, lifting the intensity of the league.
Besides his focus on football, McCarthy was also a significant contributor to Malta’s triumph in the last GSSEs, bringing experience from having led foreign athletes to qualify and compete in the Olympic games.
Mtarfa Secure New Duo
Mtarfa have sought to strengthen their squad with the signing of Dutch defender Claire Versteegh and Colombian forward Danna Fuentes Alvarez.
Versteegh joins the Blues after experience with Tricht in her native country. The side will look for her experience in the Netherlands in solidifying a defence which has leaked goals in the past season and which has had little positive signs this season.
On the other hand, Fuentes Alvarez will be making her first appearance in European football with the team. However, she ventures into the sport following a year with Swieqi United futsal, during which time she helped the team to win the Knockout with her forward play.
Swieqi On Youth Shopping Spree
The Owls have announced three new signings in the past couple of weeks. Sixteen-year-old Macedonian Eva Koneva and twenty-three year old American Nicola Lebakos made their debut in the 3-0 win against Valletta. The duo were deployed on the wings.
Both make their first appearances in the Maltese league. Koneva joins following spells with Skopje and Istatov in Macedonia, as well as having already made appearances with the U17 and U19 national teams of Macedonia. On the other hand, Lebakos is making her first steps into European football with the Owls.
The third signing was announced this week and will be familiar to those following the Assikura Women’s League, as the team captured twenty-three year old Miriana Conti from Valletta. Capable of playing on the wings, in midfield and in attack, Conti will certainly add depth to the team in various positions. For Conti this will be a step into a new dynamic as the team seeks to mount a title challenge once again this season.
Valletta Welcome Cisse, Bartolo Departs To Sassuolo
On their part, Valletta deployed French forward Fatou Cisse against the Owls, who showed signs of hold-up play as well as a willingness to take on defences directly. It will be her maiden season in Malta, with encouraging signs for the Citizens who will hope her contributions can inspire the side to a top four finish this season.
On the other hand, it has been confirmed that Francesca Bartolo will no longer wear the red and white of Valletta, having secured a move to Italian team Sassuolo. Capable of playing in an attacking creative role as well as in defence, Bartolo will look to test herself in new territories with her first move away from Maltese shores.
San Gwann Capture Kobayashi
Meanwhile, San Gwann made a second capture from Birkirkara, in Japanese defender Nanako Kobayashi, after the club had previously announced the signature of Hailey Russell from the same side. Like Russell, Kobayashi joined the Stripes in January, but departs after six months with the team and having made just a handful of appearances.
The Yellows have already seen the fruits of their signings who looked in control as the side triumphed by a 6-0 score over Mtarfa, during which Kobayashi was pivotal in creating play from the back, while Russell grabbed a hat-trick on the night.
Hibs Welcome Back Michaela Camilleri
The Paolites looked done for the summer with the announcement of four signatures before the start of the season. However, the side has welcomed back experienced midfielder Michaela Camilleri. Having spent fourteen years with the club in the past, her presence around a relatively young midfield will bring a changed dynamic for the team as they seek to grab their first silverware since the club’s return from hiatus and a chance for a thirteenth record-breaking title.
Lija Athletic Strengthen With Duo
Lija Athletic have continued to add depth to their squad by bringing Maria Ibrahim from San Gwann, as well as capturing Milena Stagno from Birkirkara. Although Stagno is yet to make her debut with the team, Ibrahim was deployed from the bench in the 1-1 draw against Valletta on the side’s opening match of the season.
Ibrahim’s transfer means that there will be another battle within the war as the side meets San Gwann on Saturday. The two sides promise an interesting battle, having displayed some excellent head to head tussles last season, with both teams looking to get the better of each other in search of separating themselves from the flock.
Lead Images: Lara Schembri / Sassuolo
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