Maccabi Tel Aviv is heading into a challenging offseason after years of dominance in the domestic market, and the club is not sure its new sporting director, Steven Vananren, will be able to solve the problem quickly. The expected departure of captain Dor Peretz is only the first major blow, leaving a serious void in both quality and leadership.
The club is also concerned that two more important players, Roy Revivo and Ido Shahar, who stood out last season, want to leave for another team. That would put Maccabi in an unfamiliar situation, with the possibility of entering next season without leading Israeli players.
On the market side, Maccabi sees very few major names available. The main exceptions mentioned are former Maccabi player Eli Dasa and striker Sean Weissman, but the club doubts it can offer them anything close to their current salaries under its new policy.
As a result, Vananren and his staff are focusing first on strengthening the squad with a center back, an attacking midfielder and a striker. Club officials believe they need to get all three signings right, otherwise they fear the team could be weaker than the one built last season.
