WHAT DOES HIS SIGNING MEAN FOR THE CLUB AND THE SPL?
Roshan described Ramselaar’s signing as “a boost for the club, its fans and the league”.
Coming just over a year after several players and backroom staff members left the Sailors amid a period of financial turmoil for the club’s owner Sea, the signing also quashes concerns about the club’s future, he said.
“I’m sure there was some concern about the financial situation at the club when it was first reported. There was some doubt about the viability of the LCS project; whether we would see an abrupt end to it and that there would be no more star names coming through,” he said.
“The signing of Bart Ramselaar certainly helps put those concerns to bed, but it’s not just him. They also brought in Zivkovic and Bailey Wright. Two big names for Singapore football. Extending the contract of Lestienne was also key.”
Roshan added that Ramselaar’s arrival shows that the club is “as serious as ever about becoming successful and continuing their project”.
“It could be said that they’ve been a little disappointing in terms of their lack of league success with regard to titles won. That has to change and it looks like they are moving in that direction,” he said.
“There’s always an expectation that LCS have to be winning everything domestically and it’s fair to expect that with the quality and resources they have. They’ve shown an appetite to bring in the big names and they now need to produce on the pitch and start winning league titles.”
While reclaiming the SPL crown will be a priority, Roshan said that the Sailors have their sights set on success beyond Singapore.
“They want to achieve on the bigger stage as well, and the investments they have put in aren’t just to try and win locally but also to give themselves a chance to be competitive on the continental stage,” he said.
“They have ambitions of becoming a force in Asian football and are taking the steps to try and achieve that goal. There have been encouraging signs in their last two Champions League campaigns and they will be looking to keep up that progress in the ACL2 competition coming up.”
Roshan said that big signings like Ramselaar’s also bring an “uptick in quality” and “more excitement” to the SPL as a whole.
“I’m sure fans would like to see some more of the other clubs also bringing in players of this calibre, but the reality is that, right now, only LCS can afford this level of player,” he said.
“Nevertheless, we have seen other clubs increase their level when playing against LCS, and as results have shown, the Sailors haven’t always found it easy in the league even with all their talent.
“That does help keep things exciting and helps raise the level of competition.”