Football Season Guide

Cercle Brugge again flirted with relegation last season as they struggled under Paul Clement and had to deal with three COVID outbreaks. The appointment of Yves Vanderhaeghe was crucial in reviving their fortunes and he ultimately steered them just clear of danger. Cercle’s improvement towards the end of last season was built from a more solid backline with Bates and Pavlovic forming a strong central defensive partnership. However, they have since gone back to their parent clubs. Daland and Miangue have been brought in as their replacements. With Cercle being a feeder club for Monaco, new arrivals from the French side are expected. One crucial area the Green and Blacks still need to address is replacing Ugbo. The on-loan Chelsea striker carried the side at times last season and scored 16 of their 40 league goals. The impact of Vanderhaeghe towards the end of last season gives hope for a more solid campaign for Cercle. Unlike the last few seasons Cercle have had a management structure in place throughout pre-season and their core squad already assembled before the start of the campaign. However, they have a brand-new centre-back pairing and there remains question marks over how they are going to replace Ugbo’s goals. This could blunt the amount of progress they make this season.