TRANSFERS While Anderlecht's new sporting director has not yet officially taken up his post, a first strategic decision already appears to have been made internally: RSCA will not trigger the purchase options for Coba Da Costa and Mihajlo Ilic. The two players, loaned this season, have not convinced enough to justify the planned investments — €2.5 million for Da Costa and €5.5 million for Ilic.
Coba Da Costa, brought in in January to cover Angulo's departure, never managed to impress. His performances, including in Mechelen, confirmed the doubts: few successful dribbles, no duels won and hardly any influence on the game. He has been judged too slight physically and still far from the level required in the Jupiler Pro League. That is not surprising, given that he couldn't break through at Getafe either — itself not a high-flying club.
Ilic's case is different, but leads to the same conclusion. The Serbian defender started promisingly alongside Diarra and formed a solid partnership, but he has not been included in the squad for the last two matches, although he still travels with the group. The club believes his output does not justify such a high purchase option. Taravel values the player, but the management now wants to give playing time to the players who will most likely still be around next season: Kana, Sardella, Hey and Diarra. The cost is the issue here — something that was of course known in advance.
Source: © Internal source
