Football Season Guide

KV Kortrijk

In


Martin Wasinski (def) Charleroi - loan extension; Aleksandar Radovanovic (def) Austin – end of loan

Out


Tsuyoski Watanabe (r) (def) Gent; Dorian Dessoleil (r) (def) Royal Antwerp – end of loan; Kristof D’Haene (r) (def) Rooselare Daisel; Kevin Vandendriessche (sp) (mid) Francs Dorains; Oleksiy Sych (sp) (def) Rukh Lviv – end of loan; Satoshi Tanaka (sp) (mid) Shonan Bellmare – end of loan; Stjepan Loncar (sp) (mid) Ferencvaros – end of loan; Habib Keita (sp) (mid) Lyon – end of loan; Maxim Deman (sp) (gk) released; Joris Delle (gk) released; Nikolas Dyhr (def) FC Midtylland – end of loan

2022/23 was a season of struggle for Kortrijk, it started poorly and they were always fighting against relegation. They looked doomed before the winter break but the appointment of Bernd Storck prompted an improvement and they managed to survive. The off season has seen the departure of Storck and the appointment of Edward Still. Despite being only 32, Still has already had two managerial jobs in the Belgium First Division with mixed results. There has been uncertainty regarding a possible takeover but that has now been resolved and there’s money to spend. The only incoming so far is the return of Wasinski on loan, after he impressed last campaign. Valuable centre-back Radovanovic fell out of favour last season and was loaned out but he’s back and ready to perform for Kortrijk. The squad is light at the moment. The club had a significant number of loan players last summer. The most notable departures are that of Watanabe, Dessoleil and club stalwart D’Haene, regular members of the defence last campaign. There was a toxic atmosphere at the club right from the start of last season after a terrible end to the previous campaign. Some optimism was brought back during Storck’s reign when results improved especially at home. They now seem to be on an upward curve. Although the uncertainty over the takeover has left them behind in recruitment and preparation for the new season.

Target


A more stable season under new boss Still – a mid-table finish.