PETALING JAYA: Kuching City have wasted no time planning for the new season, with coach Aidil Sharin already plotting a stronger campaign.
Aidil said the club are looking to retain 90% of the squad that enjoyed a historic season last year.
The Cats finished runners-up in the Super League for the first time and secured qualification for the AFC Champions League Two.
Excited about the new season, which is set to kick off in August, Aidil said discussions with the management have already begun on several key areas.
“We discussed a lot of things, including player retention, recruitment, the budget, facility improvements and our pre-season plans,” said Aidil.
“The plan is to retain 90% of our squad from last season. There are a few players we are interested in signing, and negotiations are ongoing, so we cannot reveal any names yet.
“Everything depends on the budget available. I will leave it to the chief executive officer and management to finalise those matters.”
Aidil believes strengthening the squad remains essential despite the team’s success.
“Every coach wants to improve his team every season. We will look at the weaknesses that need to be addressed. For me, it is about achieving a better balance between attack and defence.”
Several key local players have already committed their future to the club, including goalkeeper Haziq Nadzli and wingers Ramadhan Saifullah and and Ahmad Daniel Asri.
“Most of the players want to stay because they know how hard it was to finish second. They also want the opportunity to play in the AFC Champions League Two. Not every player gets this chance,” he said.
Aidil added that the club are also hoping to retain the majority of their foreign contingent.
“We want to keep 90% of our foreign players as well. It is up to them to accept the new offers.”
The Singaporean coach admitted that bringing in players from his homeland would be difficult due to financial constraints.
“Singaporean players are not easy to sign because their market value is high and many are playing in Thailand now. People talk about the Fandi brothers – Ikhsan, Ilhan and Irfan.
“They have shown interest, but their wage demands are beyond our budget.”
Aidil credited Kuching’s rise to strong team spirit and effective man-management.
“You can have talented players, but you must know how to bring the best out of them. To have tasty food, you need the right ingredients and the right chef. That is one way to describe man-management. And that was done in Kuching.
“Players like Petrus Shitembi, Ronald Ngah and James Okwuosa believed in the project. They chose to be here because they believed in the team and the coach.
“I started this journey with Kuching from scratch and look where we are today. I am proud because our success was built on unity.”
Reflecting on Kuching’s 0-2 defeat to Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) in the Malaysia Cup final, Aidil said the club had still earned widespread praise.
“Not only Malaysians watched the final. Many Singaporeans told me it was a good match and praised Kuching’s performance.”
Away from domestic football, Aidil said he enjoys watching France on the international stage, citing their rapid counter-attacking style led by star forward Kylian Mbappe.
