2008–09 NK Dinamo Zagreb season
This article shows statistics of individual players for the football club Dinamo Zagreb It also lists all matches that Dinamo Zagreb will play in the 2008–09 season. First-team squad. Team roster. "Updated 5 March 2009" Transfers. Summer. Midfielder Luka Modrić agreed to a five-year contract with Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in a transfer worth €21m in late April, meaning his last game for the Croatian Cup second leg final on 14 May. On 22 May defender Hrvoje Čale signed a four-year contract with the Turkish side Trabzonspor for € 2.2m, and four days later defensive midfielder Ognjen Vukojević joined Ukrainian giants Dynamo Kiev in a €6m transfer. During the summer transfer window, a group of players were released, including 33-year-old forward Davor Vugrinec who joins city rivals NK Zagreb, Georg Koch who signs a deal with Rapid Vienna and Tomislav Mikulić who signs a two-year contract with Standard Liège. Marijan Buljat and Dario Jertec were also released after failing to break into the first team squad under Branko Ivanković, and join biggest local rivals, Hajduk Split. As for the arrivals, goalkeeper Tomislav Butina  signed a two-year deal after being released by Olympiacos. Butina signed a two-year deal after being released by the Greek powerhouse, in a transfer which marked his return to the club after spending five years playing abroad, and 15 years after his first top-flight debut for the Blues in 1993. Heart of Hajduk Award winner Mirko Hrgović also joined the club from Japanese side JEF United, in a transfer which stirred some resentment by supporters of both Hajduk and Dinamo. Three South American players also joined the club in the summer transfer window: Luis Ibáñez and Guillermo  Suárez came from Argentina's Boca Juniors and Tigre for €650,000 and €1m respectively, while Chilean international Pedro Morales joined from Universidad de Chile in a €1.6m transfer. Did'dy Guela also left the club in late August amid heavy criticism by Ivanković and a publicized conflict with Ante Tomić in training. Two months after his contract was terminated he joined Greek side Larissa. In Out Winter. On 15 December 2008, Dinamo executive Zdravko Mamić and sports director Zoran Mamić agreed on a -year deal with Adrián Calello signed from Argentina's Independiente. The following two  signings were confirmed a few days later, in the form of forwards Miroslav Slepička, who signed from Sparta Prague a -year deal worth €1.5m, and the 21-year-old Ilija Sivonjić from the local side Inter Zaprešić. In late December it was announced that Mihael Mikić left the club to join the Japanese side Sanfrecce Hiroshima for €800,000. The last player to arrive in the winter transfer window was the 34-year-old Croatian international Robert Kovač, who signed from Borussia Dortmund for €500,000. Six youth players also signed their first senior contracts, out of which  only Ivan Tomečak joined the first team squad, while the rest were loaned to NK Lokomotiva, Dinamo's feeder club. Additionally, Dario Zahora, the 26-year-old Croatian forward who spent the last couple of seasons on loan spells at Slovenian sides Domžale and Interblock Ljubljana, joined Norwegian powerhouse Rosenborg for €280,000 in March 2009. Defender Dino Drpić, a product of Dinamo's youth academy and a permanent member of the first team squad since 2000, was abruptly suspended in January 2009, for "poor disciplinary record". He was removed from the first team and soon loaned out to German  side Karlsruher SC. It was announced on 21 May 2009 that Karlsruhe bought Drpić's contract for €900,000, with the German side trailing at the bottom of the league table with just one match left to play. Player seasonal records. "Competitive matches only. Updated to games played 31 May 2009." Key