Maccabi Tel Aviv Seeks Loan Deals for Foreign Players Ahead of Crucial Conference League Match

Maccabi Tel Aviv is actively working to resolve its foreign player quota issues even after the Israeli Premier League season has started. The club aims to reach agreements with two foreign players to free up roster spots for new signings ahead of their important Conference League playoff match against Lugano on Thursday at 19:00. One proposed solution involves striker Ion Nicolescu, who suffered a knee ligament injury and is expected to be sidelined for at least three months. Maccabi has offered to loan him out to another club while continuing to pay his full salary of 600,000 euros per season. Nicolescu still has two years left on his contract, which Maccabi acquired last season for 1.3 million euros.

The club is also considering freezing Nicolescu’s contract, but this would prevent them from selling him in the future, so they prefer to find another club willing to take him on loan. Nicolescu has been offered to smaller clubs in Romania, Cyprus, and Moldova but is holding out for an offer from a more prestigious team. Transfer windows in Romania and Cyprus close on September 7 and 9 respectively, and Maccabi will wait for better offers before making a final decision.

Another player, Kerwin Andrade, purchased for 1.8 million euros and not in coach Kenny Miller’s plans, is also reluctant to go on loan except to a Brazilian second-division club. Andrade has rejected offers from smaller European teams. A club source criticized the management, saying, “Two players we bought for over three million euros last summer contributed nothing and now block foreign player slots, preventing us from signing others. This is the embarrassing professional management we have. It only proves the failure of Jack Englidis, who now must fix the mess he created.”

Meanwhile, Maccabi prepares for the critical second leg against Lugano, seeking to overturn a 2-1 away loss and qualify for the Conference League group stage. The team will be without Said Abu Farhi, who is transferring to Colorado Rapids in MLS, and Shagiv Yehezkel. Coach Kenny Miller expressed optimism, stating, “We learned a lot from the first game. A 2-1 away deficit is not a bad result. We are ready and see this as a great opportunity to secure European group stage qualification.”