Football Season Guide

A lack of consistency was their enemy last season. They played some lovely football at times but, despite scoring copious amounts of goals on occasion, they were simply too easy to score against. That's not likely to change this season either. Replacing outgoing Mario Frick (he had accomplished as much as he realistically could in Luzern) as manager will be Jörg Portmann. A surprising choice as he's only ever managed youth teams, and a club of Luzern's size usually commands a bigger 'name' - for example, Ludovic Magnin was mooted as a potential option. As always, they waved farewell to a number of players pre-season, keen to avoid the financial ruin they have experienced in the past. They'd probably have liked to keep von Moos and Abe but they just don't have the money. However, what they do have, they invest wisely. Making Kabwit's loan move was a no-brainer - he was superb earlier in 2026, and will inevitably fetch them a princely sum at some point. Losing Bajrami at the back was a kick in the balls but they cleverly brought in Luthi from Winterthur, which is a very good replacement if they can keep him fit. Mostly, they've lost depth pre-season. That should not be a sore point though, as they have one of the most successful academies in Swiss football. Xhemalija, Vasovic, Sadikaj, Zimmermann - they're just some of the players that are potentially read to step up. Well, to be fair, Vasovic already has. Still, there are two causes for concern for them ahead of this campaign. The first is in goal where their first three(!) goalkeepers all left in the same window. Radtke is an experienced option but they need a bit more in case that doesn't pan out, which they don't currently have. Midfield should be fine too. Losing Abe was a blow, but the surprising coup of experienced Bertone from FC Thun was a very welcome acquisition. The other problem is in attack. Kabwit is fine, but with Grbic struggling, Vasovic was supposed to be the main goal-scorer for them. However, he did too well last season, and has already moved on just weeks after signing a contract until 2030. Toggenburger is an option but is battling a minor injury sustained against Stade Lausanne-Ouchy. Villiger is a handful but not always the most clinical. Therefore, where their goals will come from is a little up in the air. Still, Luzern are very resourceful - I don't really doubt them figuring artful solutions out. They're still not likely to be reliable enough to back to win games, but one thing you're almost always guaranteed with Luzern is entertainment because of their attacking nature.