Football Season Guide

Helmond Sport

In


Bryan Van Hove (def), Roda U21), Jessy Hendrikx (att), VVV U21), Robin van der Meer (def), Excelsior), Jellert van Landschoot (mid), Lierse), Ilias Breugelmans (def), Mechelen - loan), Jules Houttequiet (mid), Mechelen), Jarno Lion (def), Mechelen - loan), Dylan Seys (att), Excelsior)

Out


Juul Respen (sp)(att), Echt), Guus Joppen (r)(def), Roda), Kay van de Vorst (sp)(mid), SV Oss), Stijn van Gassel (r)(gk), Excelsior), Orhan Džepar (r)(mid), MVV, Lance Duijvestijn (r)(mid), Almere City), Karim Loukili (r)(mid), Riga), Dani Theunissen (att), Rowen Koot (gk), Jeff Stans (r)(mid), Aaron Bastiaans (sp)(att), VVV - end of loan), Ramon de Wilde (mid), VVV - end of loan), Joël Roeffen (def), VVV - end of loan), Alec Van Hoorenbeeck (k)(def), Mechelen - end of loan)

Helmond Sport had a mostly forgettable last season as they struggled to find attacking edge and were mostly predictable and lacking quality, finishing in mid-table and never threatening to crash into the play-off. The hopes for something different this season are mostly unreasonable as the squad has hardly been upgraded and they lost their highest-scoring player from last season in midfielder Lance Duijvestijn. The likes of Karim Loukili and on-loan defender Alec Van Hoorenbeeck are also important losses to a squad that looks quite short on options. The main new signing so far is one of the better left-backs in the league, Robin van der Meer, coming from Excelsior. The rest of the new additions are young players who have barely played first-team football and coach Wil Boesen will have a tight task in moulding a squad that can remain competitive at this level. Helmond mostly need a striker who knows how to handle himself at this level and it is hard to see if Jesse Goselink can make the step up, having scored just eight goals in 28 starts last season. The expectations are hardly big for Helmond anyway but they do look like one of the weaker and more vulnerable squads at this level and may well struggle to hold down a place in the upper half of the table.

Target


Expected to sit around the mid-table spots and a play-off challenge seems overoptimistic.