Pre-season Tournament 2019–20

## July 2019 preview

Accepted invitation to participate in the European Continental Shield in Germany. Yeovil Town shared a group with **BB Erzurumspor** (*Turkey*), **Antalyaspor** (*Turkey*) and **Lillestrøm SK** (*Norway*).

## Group Stage: MD1

 C. Duffus | 26'

**BB Erzurumspor Post-match Interview**

"Pleased to see us carry on right where we left off, even with an evolved team! I wanted to see exactly how this new look Yeovil would perform, so I gave immediate debuted to M. Reuvers, O. Fane and S. Foley.

Marwin Reuvers is a player we identified last season as someone who can be our creative spark in the middle of the pitch. Effectively fulfilling the role that A. Fisher fulfilled. That's why we are listening to offers for Alex. Marwin however is young (20) and has plenty of potential. Plus, you can't beat having a Dutch touch in a team! I expect he will play the majority of the season in the 10 role and consequently, we create more chances for ourselves.

Sam Foley, despite announcing his plan to retire at the end of the season, is someone that can have a huge impact on his return to the club. He was part of the squad that helped the team earn promotion to the Championship a few seasons back, with an amazing Scorpion Kick being part of folklore now, so he should help inspire what is a young team with his experience. Ousmane Fane brings quality and an engine to our midfield. He'll have basically no problem playing every single game. You can't understate having that sort of consistency!

A final word on young Goalkeeper C. Hawkins. We are aware that he is rough around the edges, but he's a great English prospect. At 19, he has plenty of time to work on his game under one of the most legendary keepers to have graced the sport in Diego Ortiz. He has works wonders with N. Baxter and F. Schram looks ready for his big season, so I am sure Callum will do fine when he is called upon. For £150,000 we think he is a steal!

As I like to get my business done early, I would say that fans back home probably shouldn't expect too much movement from here. We might look at bolstering our right wing if a talented player can be identified, and we're open to loaning a few players and selling a couple if the price is right. But don't expect many wholesale changes from here!"

## Group Stage: MD2

**Antalyaspor Post-match Interview**

"Well, that was eventful! I mean, even for a pre-season match, that was poor. It was a bit of a wasted game in truth as we learned nothing about our attacking qualities or how well our players could gel together. But it's not a big deal. Next game, however, we are going all out. Defending isn't a concern for us at this moment, so we might even go with 3 at the back and push our attacking assets high up the pitch as we can and see what we're capable of."

## Group Stage: MD3

 M. Reuvers | 4'

**Lillestrøm SK Post-match Interview**

"I mean... it wasn't exactly what I was hoping for... but it's progress! Lillestrom lost 5 - 0 on the first match day so if ever there was a team for us to go all out on, it was them. But 2 - 0 isn't so bad, and it was good for M. Reuvers to get his first goal since signing, and youth academy player Price took his finish very well indeed. We're going to keep this mentality going and try our best to equal this scoreline in the Semi-Final."

## Semi-Final

 Eliminated

**SG Sonnenhof Großaspach Post-match Interview**

"Hmmm... Honestly, this has me a little concerned. We're consistently created very few chances for ourselves. This match we only one shot. We just don't have the skill set yet to break down teams efficiently. It's going to come over the course of the season, and I have a plan for that. But for now, our focus will be on maintaining our strong defensive form and gradually finding the balance between controlling possession and carving teams open with strong attacking play. I am confident!"

## Transfer Window

#### **Transfers In**

* Yeovil Town confirm the signing of 20-year old Dutch AM Marwin Reuvers from **NAC Breda**(*Netherlands*). NAC Breda will receive £500,000, with Marwin signing a 4-year contract.
* Yeovil Town confirm the signing of 19-year old English GK Callum Hawkins from **Burton Albion**(*England*). Burton Albion will receive £150,000, with Callum signing a 2-year contract.

#### **Transfers Out**

* Yeovil Town confirm the sale of 37-year old English GK S. Nelson to **Waterford FC**(*Ireland*). Yeovil Town will receive £28,500.
* Yeovil Town confirm the loan transfer of Sam Hall to **Derry City**. He will return in June 2020.
* Yeovil Town confirm the loan transfer of Isaac Lewis to **Birmingham City**. He will return in June 2020.
* Yeovil Town confirm the loan transfer of Reece Clarke to **Avenir Sportif Beziers**. He will return in June 2020.
* Yeovil Town confirm the loan transfer of Peter Morris to **CD O'Higgins**. He will return in June 2020.

#### **Contract News**

* C. Dickinson extended his contract until **2021**
* Yeovil Town confirm the arrival of O. Fane and S. Foley after agreeing to move to the club in January 2019
* Yeovil Town confirm the exit of F. Zoko. He departed after the non-renewal of his contract.
* Yeovil Town confirm the exit of C. Alcock. He departed after the non-renewal of his contract.

## YeoLaTengo Monthly Review

"Well, it was a pre-season more interesting off the pitch than it was on it. There really wasn't much to comment on. They team have retained their defensive solidity despite a number of changes to the squad, but despite adding attacking quality, they didn't quite click on the pitch. It's probably going to take some time before we see them come together, but providing we keep teams out, we should manage well enough.

There was a lot of movement this month. A number of the kids who were promoted have left the club on loan. Surprisingly, Isaac Lewis was allowed to leave despite being a very bright talent. Internal sources tell me that he had attracted the attention of a number of higher profile teams and that he was allowed to leave on loan to develop with a stronger team. Should Yeovil fail to make it into the Championship, then they have agreed to sell him. Should they make it, then his short-term future will be with Yeovil. It's rare to see such politics, but if he proves his worth with Birmingham City, then he would be a key asset next season should we secure promotion.

Of all of the Academy players promoted during the summer, only one has remained to take part in Sascha Krause's squad. Liam Price looks set to be an understudy for the Attacking midfielder role and will surely make a number of appearances across the pitch when called upon. He had an electric pre-season and looks more than ready to play for this team! The rest of the kids will do well to get some minutes under their belt and come back next summer better players.

As of now, the main signing of the summer was Marwin Reuvers, arriving into the team to be the creative engine to supplier our forwards. He looked promising in his minutes on the pitch, netted himself a goal and played some nice through balls.Fans should be patient with him and the manager. But if things can fall into place, there's no doubt he will become a staple figure.

Whether we will see any more movement remains to be seen. But the team looks to be in good spirits ahead of the new season in League One and hopefully we will get off to a better start than last year!

**Expected First XI for the season:**

**GK**: F. Schram

**RB**: T. James

**CB**: O. Sowunmi

**CB**: M. Degerlund

**LB**: D. Ojo

**RM**: A. Santos

**DM**: S. D'Almeida

**DM**: O. Fane

**LM**: S. Foley

**AM**: M. Reuvers

**ST**: C. Duffus