Kitchee transfers

With thirteen confirmed player departures this summer, and likely more on the way, the much-needed Kitchee rebuild is underway. Edgar Cardoso's promotion to head coach has been made official, with last season's interim Kim Dong-jin taking on the under 22 managerial role. Cardoso will be assisted by fellow Portugese coach Stefano Sousa and former Kitchee centre back Fernando Recio, recently retired after seeing out his career with Lee Man. Here we look at the six confirmed incomings so far, with the squad flying to Thailand at the weekend for preseason.

Jay Haddow, 20, right back/centre back

The young defender returns after eight years on the books at Blackburn Rovers, playing in their development sides. We interviewed him a couple of months back to discuss his career, check it out here. Primarily a right back, he can fill in across the backline or in defensive midfield. The youngster appeared for Japan U19 in 2022, and could represent Hong Kong in the future by giving up his existing nationalities and obtaining a Hong Kong passport. He brings us much needed youth and versatility to our backline.

Leon Jones, 26, centre back

Credits to Scoop

The Glasgow-born centre back joins us after an eighteen month spell with our local rivals Eastern, where he won the FA Cup this season. His time at Eastern was partially disrupted by knee and shoulder injuries, but he put in good performances, and we look forward to seeing what he can do for us. Before arriving in Hong Kong, Leon, or 'Lok On' to give him his Chinese name, captained Scotland at youth levels, but is now a Hong Kong international (eligible through his mother), making his debut in June. He came through the Heart of Midlothian academy in Scotland, before moving to Kentucky Wildcats in the NCAA, and after graduating he played two games in the Scottish Championship for Dunfermline before moving to Hong Kong.

Jordan Lam, 25, left back/left winger

Hong Kong international Jordan Lam joins Kitchee as his latest stop around the Hong Kong Premier League. Having spent some of his childhood in the United States, he had a couple of trials with English clubs, but faced with work permit issues he returned to Hong Kong. Lam joins us from North District, with Kitchee being his seventh HKPL club. His impressive performances down the left hand side earned him a Hong Kong debut in March away in Uzbekistan. While the left hand side is where he is most comfortable, he has also been used on the right wing and attacking midfield during his career. We anticipate him being predominantly deployed at left back after the departures of Shinichi Chan and Jordon Brown.

Luis Machado, 31, left winger

Portugese winger Luis Machado comes to us after three years in the Polish top flight with Radomiak Radom. Primarily a left winger by trade, the experienced attacker has also played on the right and in attacking midfield, and also filled in further back. His versatility will be important, and with Mingazow and Igor Sartori's contracts set to expire midseason, he gives us another attacking option. He spent a decade in Portugal's top two divisions, before moving to the Indian Super League and then Poland. In his only season in Asia he scored 7 goals in 22 games, so if we can see something similar at Kitchee it would be a successful signing. He takes the number 10 shirt.

Fynn Talley, 21, goalkeeper

The young goalkeeper joins us from Peterborough United of League One in England, where he made nine appearances. He started off at Arsenal, before moving to Brighton in 2017, featuring for their U18 and U23 sides). At Brighton he had in loan spells in lower leagues in England and the Northern Irish Premiership at Cliftonville. Although inexperienced, he has featured in Europa Conference League qualifying for Cliftonville, and impressed in two FA Cup appearances last season, including saving two penalties in a shootout win. Talley also played for England U16 back in 2017.

Diego Bardanca, 31, centre back

The Spanish-born Filipino centre back has had somewhat of a journeyman career. Initially in the youth academy at Deportivo La Coruna, he has bounced around European and Asian leagues for the last decade, and was part of a double winning squad with Buriram United in the 2022/23 Thai league season. He has spent the last season with Persis Solo in the Indonesian Liga 1. Bardanca offers us another centre back option, and his Filipino passport means he counts as an Asian player. He also has three caps for the Philippines, playing in three friendlies in 2022.

On the departures front, the majority of players who left at the end of May are yet to disclose their new clubs. Charlie Scott has just signed for Semen Padang in Indonesian Liga 1. Jakob Jantscher signed for ASK Voitsberg in the Austrian second tier, while Shinichi Chan has yet to make his debut for Shanghai Shenhua.

Chairman Ken Ng revealed that the club still has two more foreign players on the way, reportedly an attacking midfielder and a striker, both from Europe. The pair will fly straight to Thailand to join the squad. There are also links with Hong Kong-based players, both foreigners and local players, which at time of publishing have not come to anything concrete. The squad will stay in Thailand for a couple of weeks, playing three games, and will return to Hong Kong in time for the friendly against Atletico Madrid on August 7th, a game serving as Huang Yang's farewell appearance. Ticket information is here.

Written by Adam O'Domhnaill

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Player ratings 2023/2024

The player ratings

Players are listed in order of minutes played, with those who played under 100 minutes not rated.

In part one, we looked at our performances in different competitions. If you missed it, please click here to have a look.

Cleiton 4.5/10 2690 mins, 32 games, 6 goals, 10 assists, 14 yellows

Nowhere near the same performance levels as in previous years. Missed three games through suspension with a lot of dissent leading to 14 yellow cards. Much better in the final two games, and chipped in with goals and assists throughout. Departed this summer after over a hundred appearances.

Mikael 6.5/10 2524 mins, 34 games, 25 goals, 2 assists, 13 yellows

Top scorer this season, his best goal was his spectacular equaliser in Jeonbuk. Missed four games through suspension, including the Sapling Cup final, like his countryman Cleiton he displayed a lot of petulant behaviour. Probably off to the Chinese Super League, which will be a big step up.

Charlie Scott 6.5/10 2472 mins, 32 games 4 goals, 6 assists, 3 yellows

Credits to Scoop

A fan favourite, he was overlooked at the start of the campaign in favour of Onazi. When that failed, the Englishman bounced back, with his long shots posing a threat, and his passing range and set pieces helping our midseason rally. His stoppage time penalty in the Senior Shield to force extra time. Fans are disappointed to see him leave, almost definitely to the Indonesian Liga 1.

Andy Russell 4/10 2400 mins, 32 games, 5 goals, 1 assist, 9 yellows

Far too slow for Kitchee's high line, and when paired with Helio we struggled, especially against Eastern and Lee Man. Also exposed in the ACL against much better players. Chipped in with useful goals throughout the season, and left the club in the summer.

Credits to Scoop

Helio 4.5/10 2238 mins, 30 games, 4 yellows, 1 red

Turned 38 during the season, and watching his performances it is obvious he struggles in a high line if not paired with a much quicker partner, with Eastern's Noah Baffoe regularly exposing him. Sent off in the Senior Shield final. Still a key part of Hong Kong's squad this year, even if he didn't feature in the Asian Cup, partially due to ongoing fitness concerns. He captained Kitchee for the majority this campaign, and with Huang Yang's retirement will likely be club captain, although if recruitment is good he will likely feature less.

Shinichi Chan 4.5 out of 10 2144 mins, 31 games, 1 goal, 4 assists, 4 yellows

Struggled defensively at times, but offensively did not contribute enough. A decent first half of the campaign was disrupted with injury at the Asian Cup and he did not look the same afterwards. On a personal level, he captained Kitchee for the first time and played his 100th match in our final day defeat. The young left back secured a move to Chinese Super League title challengers Shanghai Shenhua in the summer, despite his poor form in the second half of the campaign.

Law Tsz-chun 5/10 2112 mins, 27 games, 4 assists, 7 yellows

His versatility was helpful throughout, most notably filling in for over a hundred minutes at left back in the Senior Shield final. Like his fellow full back Shinichi, looks more assured going forward, but we need more end product from him. Captain on four occasions, he will have a big role to play next season with so much squad turnover. Has fallen down the pecking order for Hong Kong, limited to a handful of substitute appearances.

Jakob Jantscher 6/10 2057 mins, 30 games, 11 goals, 9 assists, 4 yellows

Credits to Jarly

Fantastic in the ACL, with 4 goals giving us hope in a disappointing campaign. Kitchee struggled to get the best out of him domestically, as he played across the front three and in attacking midfield, but he still our third top scorer. Likely retiring as a professional player after a career that saw him play predominantly in Austria, with spells in Russia, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Turkey.

Juninho 5/10 1768 mins, 27 games, 13 goals, 7 assists, 7 yellows

Injury prone in the first half of the campaign, and in the second half he moved around the attack as Kitchee tried to find his ideal position following his naturalisation. His stats on paper were good, but he needs to be more clinical. We missed him during the ACL- he only played 108 minutes due to injury. Seems to be a favourite of the Hong Kong setup, starting both games in June.

Roberto 5/10 1739 mins, 27 games, 1 goal, 4 yellows, 1 red

Started the season as a player-coach without a proper preseason as the club were not planning to use him much at the age of 40. Injuries and poor form meant he played regularly, either at right back or centre back, and played the 10th most minutes out of the entire squad. Was dependable throughout, chipping in with a goal in the FA Cup quarter final, but did sent off at Tai Po away.

Igor Sartori 3.5/10 1563 mins, 24 games, 4 goals, 9 assists, 2 yellows

Often criticised by fans for his lack of end product in tougher games, with the majority of his goals and assists coming against sides at the bottom of the table. Even when he played in his preferred position on the left wing, he was still underperforming, with a glaring miss at Tai Po away with the goal at his mercy.

Tan Chun-lok 5/10 1514 mins, 31 games, 4 goals, 1 assist, 8 yellows

Strangely underused throughout the season, switching between the 6 and 8 roles in central midfield either from the start or off the bench. Put Kitchee into the Sapling Cup final with his late winner. He will likely play a bigger role next year. Despite the lack of minutes for Kitchee, he has started every game for Hong Kong this season, and is approaching 50 caps.

Paulo Cesar 4.5/10 1455 mins, 16 games, 6 clean sheets, 17 goals conceded, 1 yellow, 1 red

Credits to Scoop

Saved a number of penalties with multiple clean sheets in the early season games. Played a crucial role in securing a point in Bangkok. Unfortunately suffered a bad leg injury in November which ruined his season. Made a short return to help us win the Senior Shield, but his shaky play after returning properly in April caused us a great deal of problems, summed up by his red card in the FA Cup semi-final, which proved to be his last act in a Kitchee shirt.

Wang Zhenpeng 5/10 1452 mins, 18 games, 10 clean sheets, 15 goals conceded

After only making a handful of cup appearances in the opening months, the veteran stepped up when Paulo got injured, playing his most minutes in a season since 2020/2021. Some would argue he was harshly dropped when Paulo returned in April, but Wang started the last two games and was retained for next campaign. Likely to be backup to a young goalkeeper that we bring in.

Ruslan Mingazow 4.5/10 1439 mins, 21 games, 6 goals, 4 assists, 2 yellows

Reigning Player of the Year but did not get near the same levels this season. Struggled with injury throughout, and poor club results meant the Turkmen winger was rushed back to the side while not fully recovered. His late winner in the Senior Shield won our only major trophy, but his season ended at Hammer Hill, only lasting ten minutes off the bench before suffering another injury. Under contract until January 2025, there have been murmurs of a departure, but many fans want him to stay as they know the levels he is capable of reaching.

Credits to Scoop

Fernando 5.5/10 1434 mins, 26 games, 4 goals, 11 assists, 3 yellows

Just before Christmas he looked like his younger self, scoring three goals in three games playing on the wing again after mainly playing at full back. After his shoulder injury in the Senior Shield he didn't look the same, but finished the season off with a nice goal against Southern, and his 11 assists was our highest this season. Staying for next season, and if he remains fit will likely reach 200 appearances

Sherzod Temirov 5/10 1370 mins, 22 games, 8 goals, 3 assists, 3 yellows

Fans were sceptical of his signing, but his workrate has changes their minds. Chipped in with goals throughout, although fans will hope for more consistency now he is more settled at the club. One of few foreign players to survive the summer exodus.

Oli Gerbig 5/10 1169 mins, 16 games, 1 goal, 1 assist, 3 yellows

Solid performances led to a debut for Hong Kong, and he played every minute at the Asian Cup. Signed for Henan in the CSL in February, and Kitchee did not prepare for this departure, causing us problems throughout the second half of the season.

Poon Pui-hin 3/10 1053 mins, 24 games, 2 goals, 4 assists, 3 yellows, 1 red

Still unsure what his best position is, with his inability to offer much direct attacking threat one of many issues offensively. Only scored twice this season, as well as being harshly sent off in Bangkok. For Hong Kong its a different story, scoring 3 goals for the senior team. Linked with a move to China League One in the summer.

Cheng Chin-lung 3/10 931 mins, 25 games, 2 goals, 5 assists

The former wonderkid has not lived up to his earlier potential. Chipped in with 2 goals and 5 assists, and filled in at right back at times. Under contract for next season but the lack of gametime means a move could be imminent.

Tuscany Shek 5/10 810 mins, 9 games, 3 clean sheets, 13 goals conceded

Debuted in the Sapling Cup aged 15 and the youngster has a bright future ahead, playing most of our Sapling Cup campaign. Still very raw, his stats would likely be better if the defence did not change every game throughout the competition. Kept a clean sheet on league debut (albeit HKU23) and we expect big things for him moving forward.

Sedin Ramic 2.5/10 724 mins, 12 games

After a shaky debut in the Sapling Cup, the Bosnian was man of the match against Rangers on his league debut. Sporadic appearances across all competitions, but started the Sapling Cup final in an unfamiliar centre back pairing. His rare start against Lee Man to finish the campaign was a disaster, and after 5 bookings in 12 games he left the club in the summer.

Ibrahim Kurban 3.5/10 628 mins, 10 games, 1 assist

Only made 10 appearances, covering both full back positions. Nothing spectacular to report but he worked hard. Left the club in the summer, likely to return to the mainland.

Yuen Chun-him 4.5/10 592 mins, 9 games, 2 goals, 3 assists

Not enough gametime to fully assess his performance, but he made good contributions in the Sapling Cup group stage. Hopefully he can push on next year, and make some league cameos off the bench.

Matthew Slattery 3/10 592 mins, 10 games, 1 assist

Made his professional debut in the Sapling Cup, and played 9 out of 10 games as we reached the final. Unable to trouble the scorers, we need more from him next season. In a season where Kitchee did not use many young players in the league, it was nice to see him make a short cameo at Southern away.

Huang Yang 5/10 581 mins, 18 games, 1 assist

Credits to Football Shirt Lover

In his final season, the captain was predominantly used off the bench, only making five starts. We valued his experience in the Sapling Cup. In his final game he was applauded by both fanbases, retiring after over 300 Kitchee games and 71 Hong Kong caps. We wish him the best in his retirement.

Jason Kam 2.5/10 383 mins, 6 games

Played more minutes than in previous seasons, but only in the Sapling Cup, and when Hong Kong's internationals were available again he found himself on the bench. Unsure what the plan will be for him next season- maybe a loan would help?

Ogenyi Onazi 1/10 324 mins, 5 games

His time with Kitchee set the tone for a terrible club season. Came in with over 50 international caps and top level club experience in Italy and Turkey. Was absolutely abysmal, and took to social media to argue with fans who criticised him. Hopefully this season's summer recruitment is better.

Kim Shin-wook 1.5/10 312 mins, 7 games, 5 goals

A hat trick early on against HKFC gave fans false hope of success. The Korean only made one more start and a handful of substitute appearances as 'injury' and 'fitness concerns' kept him sidelined. On extortionate wages for at least another year, maybe a termination is the best option for the club moving forward?

Aleksandr Damcevski 1/10 180 mins, 2 games

A shambles, playing two games and was destroyed by Lee Man, never playing again. Eventually left in December to reunite with fellow Kitchee flop Onazi in the Italian lower leagues. His poor performance meant Roberto took on a much greater playing role than had previously been anticipated.

Yeung Cheuk-kwan 3/10 175 mins, 7 games, 1 goal

Made his professional debut in October, and scored his first goal in December, becoming Kitchee's youngest ever goalscorer. Will hope to push on next campaign, with more involvement in the Sapling Cup.

Pang Hing-hei 13 mins, 2 games

Another youngster to debut this season, he was limited to two short cameos. Hopefully more to come from him next season.

Another youngster to make their professional bow, he was limited to two short cameos and will hope for more if he stays at the club. Maybe a loan would help.

Seb Buddle 9 mins, 2 games, 1 goal

A strange free agent signing, with our former academy graduate returning to us after 6 months as a free agent. Rounded off the thrashing of HKU23 at home. Under contract for next season but unclear what his role will be.

Lau Yu-ho 8 mins, 2 games

Another young player only used briefly off the bench in his early professional career. Hopefully some more Sapling Cup appearances follow next year.

Yu Ching-wai 1 min, 1 game

One short cameo, with the defensive midfielder making his debut aged 16. Another teenager who will hope for more minutes next season.

Written by Adam O'Domhnaill and Samuel C

Photo acknowledgements for the season- please support their work

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End of season report 2023/2024

Our season ended a month ago with defeat to Lee Man, condemning us to our worst season in years, and the upcoming 2024-25 campaign will be our first without continental football for over a decade. We had another Senior Shield win and home ACL games for the first time in years, but our defence of the league fell apart completely. Here at Angry Boundary Street we've taken time to analyse our season, and look ahead to next campaign.

The competitions

Hong Kong Premier League- 4th

Kitchee were always playing catchup after September's battering away at Lee Man. Players were rushed back from injury far too soon in response to this, which led to recurring injuries. A midseason recovery and a long unbeaten run gave us renewed hope, but a collapse in April and May meant we finished 4th, our lowest league position since 2019. A continually disjointed attack (missing a centre forward) and a lack of pace in defence were our two main stumbling points, not only in the league but often in other competitions as well.

FA Cup- semifinal

An easy quarter final win against HKFC, who never looked like scoring. But fans would've wanted it to be more comprehensive. After a tough April and early May, we took on Eastern in the semi final with fan morale low, and two goals from Baffoe and a red card for Paulo saw us fall to another disappointing defeat.

Senior Shield- winners

Credits to Edmund

Like the FA Cup, a straightforward quarter final victory (even Kim Shin-wook scored twice in a 7-0 thrashing of RCFC). This was followed up with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Lee Man, setting up a repeat of last year's final against Eastern. Kitchee were outplayed, and our defensive frailties were highlighted by an energetic Eastern front line. Charlie Scott's stoppage time penalty dragged our ten men to extra time before Mingazow's winner.

Sapling Cup- runners up

A strange campaign. Clashes with international fixtures meant that some of our Hong Kong internationals scarcely featured throughout the campaign. Kitchee blooded young players but opted for experience where available. Won the group despite not being at their best and snuck past Tai Po in the semi final thanks to Tan Chun-lok's stoppage time winner. There were a couple of strange selection calls for the final- Poon starting at centre forward, and Ramic and Roberto playing at centre back together for the first time, and Kitchee went on to lose 1-0.

Credits to Dickson

Asian Champions League- 4th in group

Three poor home performances, where Kitchee were exposed defensively. Jakob Jantscher aside (scored in 4 games in a row) the attack looked flat, with Juninho, Kim Shin-wook and Mingazow all missing games through injury. Kitchee fared slightly better away, with a battling draw with ten men in Bangkok and a win in Singapore over Lion City Sailors. Kitchee will wonder what could have been, if we had a full strength squad available throughout.

Hong Kong Premier League Cup- winners

A new competition to provide fans with some football over the Asian Cup break. Kitchee demolished Eastern 5-0 in the semi-final, to set up a final with Lee Man. It was 2-2 after fifteen minutes, and stayed that way for the rest of the game. Kitchee won the penalty shootout, with Roberto scoring the decisive kick.

General thoughts

Credits to Nathan

One major trophy was a massive let down from last season. The culmination of poor recent recruitment, especially too many aging players and no out and out striker. Either side of the Asian Cup we improved, although we benefitted with easier fixtures. Our rebuild is under way, with at least ten players confirmed to have left for pastures new. With so many player departures (thirteen at time of writing), we have been linked with a number of Hong Kong eligible players, addressing positions of need with a much younger age profile- Eastern centre back Leon Jones and North District left back/left winger Jordan Lam were confirmed recently by chairman Ken Ng. We expect these to be complemented by foreign players as the summer goes on. There was also confirmation this week of Edgar Cardoso's appointment as manager, with interim Kim Dong-jin taking over the under 22 team. Preseason will see us take on Atletico Madrid in early August, with rumours of a couple of games in Thailand as well.

Click here for part two, where we rate the players.

Written by Adam O'Domhnaill and Samuel

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