Sports director of the Helsinki Football Club’s men’s team Miika Takkula states that the completed season went very well. Takkula, who has worked in the current team for three and a half years, says that the club achieved the goals set in the summer of 2019.
Player sales are something Takkula would have liked to do better. HJK sold in July 2019 Lassi Lappalainen to Bologna, Italy.
The next sale was made in January 2022, when Lucas Lingman joined the Swedish Helsinborgs IF. Now Casper Terho is leaving for Belgian Union SG.
– Last year, we would certainly have been able to complete a few player sales. But when we went to the Conference League, we didn’t sell that point, we played until the end of last season with those players.
According to Takkula, this season’s group stage of the Europa League has contributed to the fact that the timing of player sales has had to be thought through more. He also reminds that HJK has been a good place to play in recent years when the team has had tough matches.
– I can’t say that we have succeeded in the best possible way in terms of player sales during the past three years. However, we have made very good transfers.
Murilo has a contract for the coming season
Regarding the season that ended, Takkula is especially satisfied that HJK’s young players got more responsibility than in previous seasons.
– Matti Peltola, Santeri Väänänen and Casper Terho were among the young players who got a big playing role. It warms the heart a lot.
This season, HJK had a larger number of players than in previous years, which was a conscious choice. The Helsinki team played in two competitions last season, the Veikkausliiga and the Konferensiliiga. At that time, the club noticed that the load was getting too big at certain venues.
– With that, we basically started the season with a bigger group of players, which was really big in the final stages.
HJK wanted bigger players for this season. In the summer, a 193-centimeter midfielder from Austria joined the club Marin Martic, whose season ended early with an injury. The 191-centimeter Serbian forward came into the attack Bojan Radulovic.
When a credit attacker Riku Riski was injured, he was loaned from Malmö who had a lot of responsibility in the team from Helsinki Malik Abubakari. Even otherwise, the team was strengthened by a slew of foreign loan players, such as the Northern Irish goalkeeper chosen as player of the year by HJK supporters Conor Hazard.
– In June, for various reasons, we lost three players from the starting line-up. We had to activate more in the summer transfer window than originally planned.
Martic scored in the 1st qualifying round of the Champions League in July, Radulovic scored in the 3rd qualifying round of the Europa League in August, and Malik’s goal secured a place in the group stage of the Europa League, Takkula lists.
– Many foreign players brought something and were part of the fact that the season was so good in terms of sports.
According to Takkula, the good thing about a larger number of players is that the internal competition increases. The fact that some of the players get less responsibility, which causes dissatisfaction, brings its own challenges, he says.
For example, a Brazilian player Murilo was apparently disappointed with his role in the team this season. This According to Helsingin Sanomat (you will switch to another service) caused a foul by Murilo and the head coach Toni Koskelan between. Takkula says he does not comment on individual persons.
– From the beginning of the season, Murilo’s role was bigger and from the end of the season it was significantly reduced. The competitive situation caused this.
Murilo has a comprehensive contract with HJK for next season. Koskela’s contract also extends until the end of the 2023 season.
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Some of the national team players continue in HJK
HJK also had several players who played in Huuhkaj this season. The media paid particular attention to former national team players – Paulus Arajuuri, Perparim Hetemaj, Jukka Raitala and Joona Toivio – joining the club.
According to Takkula, everyone came to play in a big role, but Arajuure’s and Toivio’s playing minutes were quite small due to injuries, for example. Takkula says that according to the current information, Hetemaj, Raitala and Toivio will continue in HJK, Arajuure’s contract is coming to an end.
– Bringing an experienced player who has been around the world and won things to the team’s everyday life brings a lot of added value to the whole.
Contracts are also being negotiated with other players who were part of the player roster of the season that ended.
Lucas Lingman, who was sold in January, returned to HJK on loan in August. Takkula says that the club would like to continue cooperation with Lingman, but it is not only up to the people of Helsinki to decide.
Thinking about next season, HJK has already made a few player acquisitions. For example, who played in Turku FC Inter in the season that ended Aleksi Paananen the contract was announced at the beginning of November (you will switch to another service).
Will Paananen replace Santeri Väänänen, who played an excellent season, who may possibly move abroad? Takkula says that Paananen has a role in the team, and he does not directly replace anyone.
At least HJK will not reduce the player budget for the upcoming season, Takkula says. Before a possible increase in the budget, it is analyzed whether the success at the current level can be improved with a larger amount of money.
– Over the course of three years, we have increased the budget, and it has produced results.
Takkula does not comment on his possible continuation
In the summer of 2019, Takkula started its three-season wash, which is now on hiatus. He does not comment on his possible continuation as HJK’s sports director. However, Takkula says that his era has been successful if the club’s strategic goals are evaluated.
The goal of the three-year plan was to win the Finnish championship and build an internationally competitive team. HJK advanced to the group stages of the Conference League and the Europa League and won the Veikkausliiga championship three times.
In addition, the club has established performance and player monitoring units, which have developed, although there is still room for improvement, says Takkula.
– I want to emphasize that these things are not personal to me, but I have had competent people around me who have done a good job together. Through this, these results have been obtained during these three years.