Hasi: “Not talking about my future until after Sunday”
SATURDAY, 24 MAY 2025, 13:42 - lajoya
INTERVIEWS Two days before the last game of the season, Besnik Hasi spoke to the press one more time. The Anderlecht coach was asked questions about his future, that of Mario Stroeykens and that of the club. “Guys like De Cat, Kanaté, Goto and De Greef can bring a bright future to the club, but then they have to be well surrounded,” he said.
The first question Hasi was asked was whether he already knew anything about his future at Anderlecht. “The agreement was not to talk about that until after the league. We'll keep it that way,” the coach said. “Although of course I do sit together a lot with Oliver Renard and Tim Borguet. We then talk about the situation now and what can or should change.”
Continue reading below the article
Continue reading So what should change, according to Hasi? “There will be some changes. Players will leave and add. Tim and Olivier are working hard to reorganize everything. It will be a busy mercato for the sports cell. The sporting cell doesn't ask my opinion on players specifically, but we do talk about what can make this team better.”
Was he already talking to other clubs? “I'm not free yet, I'm still under contract until June 30. When I have an answer from Anderlecht about my future, only then will I look further.” That other names are circulating in the press does not bother him. “This is Anderlecht, it always has been and always will be. This is normal.”
“Like to replay Cup final”
How does Hasi analyze his short period with Anderlecht? “In the first match against Bruges we were nowhere, not at all up to scratch. In the next two matches against them we played well, but finally they finish you off and you don't score. That has to be better. We took the points we needed to take. It sat against us that we had to play the first three matches against the top three.”
If he could replay a match, which one would it be? “The cup final. We played well, the conditions were good. Only on those two crosses we were not in a good position. I had thought that after 60-65 minutes we would get the upper hand in terms of freshness and then maybe have a chance.”
“It can always be better, but I lacked the time to really grind things in. At some point we did bring stability to the team. Some guys did start playing better soccer in the playoffs.”
“Surrounding youngsters well”
After the cup final, both Hasi and president Wouter Vandenhaute said Anderlecht is on the right track. Some fans have trouble believing that. “I see that hard work is being done here. They are doing everything to attract the right people and make them better, in and around the team. They are also working on youth training. Guys like De Cat, Kanaté, Goto and De Greef can bring a bright future to the club, but they have to be well surrounded. The club realizes that too.”
One Neerpede-boy who may be leaving this summer is Mario Stroeykens. What advice would Hasi give him? “In the past, top talents usually stayed one or two years, sometimes three. Mario is now in his fourth season in the A core. He did experience some injuries this season. As a coach, I would advise him to stay, then we would have a good player there. But in today's soccer, guys want to take steps and sometimes they have to.”
