Football Season Guide

After a devastatingly poor campaign in 23/24, something of a 'transfer revolution' was expected at FC Basel. However, due to their weak financial position, for the most part they could only afford to bring players in when some left - and not enough moved on. Only Veiga has fetched any real profit at the time of writing. Subsequently, turning the loan move of Rüegg into a permanent transfer, and the acquisition of midfielder Leroy, who is expected to help them control games better, was all they've really managed. Having said the above, a 'transfer revolution' shouldn't be required. They have a big and capable squad with lots of talented kids coming through, and just needed to figure out who was going to be a part of their future and who wasn't. Not sacking their manager allows for a touch of stability/consistency that they've not had in years, and that could prove pivotal this season, assuming Celestini is kept in charge rather than being sacked early, which has happened to his predecessors far too often. The big concern for FC Basel pre-season is whether they can keep hold of star striker Barry, who went from disappointing to outrageously good when Celestini took over. He's attracted a lot of interest from England, particularly Crystal Palace. The financial folks want him sold for big bucks but the club need him; there are no reliable goal-scorers in their squad barring him, and it's important to note that he has only done so under Celestini - he was poor before that. The rest of their squad looks really solid and dependable, especially since Avdullahu's meteoric rise in midfield, and Kade finally beginning to show what he is capable of. They're really going to need the former with Veiga having moved to Chelsea too; he wasn't consistent enough last season but still had star quality. They've got excellent creative players, both through the middle and out wide, and some very solid defenders. With the injury crisis of last season now but a distant memory, the only issue (other than if Barry leaves) is at LB because there's no understudy for Schmid. Fortunately, he's rarely injured but he will be suspended at some point, and then they're going to be vulnerable in that area of the pitch. Assuming Celestini can get into the heads of his players to make them more confident in their abilities, they should do well. However, many before him have tried and failed so it's a coin toss between a good campaign or a bad one. It's likely to be the latter, to be frank. A bottom six finish is very likely if they don't get their heads straight early on. They won't be easy to beat by nature of their setup but if they aren't scoring enough goals then heads will drop, and they're bad at getting out of those scenarios.