HNK Hajduk Split achieved a major success by qualifying for European competition after 16 years, with the club's summer transfer window receiving a near-perfect grade. According to an analysis by Index.hr Sport, sporting director Robert Graf executed a significant squad reconstruction while simultaneously reducing the wage budget.
The club currently sits 4th in the HNL with 10 points from five matches, and travels to face Rudes in the next round. Hajduk have scored 11 goals, conceded 5, and have a positive goal difference of +6, keeping them just three points behind league leaders Varazdin.
How did the squad reconstruction look?
Robert Graf precisely identified the problem at his presentation. "Hajduk didn't just have to run more, they had to run more intensely and smarter," Graf said. The club needed players with greater physical capacity, especially in rebuilding the midfield.
In June, it was announced that Anthony Kalik and Ismaël Diallo would not have their contracts extended. Zvonimir Šarlija, Filip Krovinović, and Hugo Guillamón were free to seek new clubs. Ante Rebić was offered a new contract which he did not accept, and Almehida's loan ended. The club sold Rokas Pukštas, Marko Sigur, and Lovro Durdov, along with several smaller transfers and development fees, for a total of approximately ten million euros, depending on bonuses. Mihael Žaper remains one of the few difficult cases to resolve.
Which new players arrived at Poljud?
Eleven new players arrived at Hajduk. They are Khalil Fayad, Leander Dendoncker, Dennis Hadžikadunić, Alberto del Moral, Etnik Brruti, Mathieu Acapandié, Anđelo Šutalo, Alec Van Hoorenbeeck, Carlos Martín, Marin Šotiček, and Dalisson. Fayad arrived for a compensation fee of 250,000 euros, Van Hoorenbeeck for around 200,000 euros, while the others came as free agents or on loan.
Graf carried out a major reconstruction while significantly reducing the wage budget, and the team looks better. The player contracts of those who left this summer were costing the club at least three million euros annually in salaries. The first team cost was reduced by somewhere between one and 1.5 million euros, depending on bonuses. You can follow the entire player roster on our squad page.
How does the new scouting system function?
Previously at Hajduk, it was often enough to hear that a player had been an international, played in La Liga, Serie A, or the Bundesliga and conclude he would be good for the club. Graf's first transfer window looks completely different.
According to communicated information, around halfway through the transfer window, Hajduk's analytical-scouting system had processed over three thousand players. More than 70 of them had been presented to coach Gonzalo Garcia as players meeting the set criteria. This is careful work that the public mostly does not see. First, they define what the coach needs, then among thousands of players they seek those who meet physical, technical, tactical, financial, and character criteria. Numbers are not everything, but without them a player is not even considered.
Why is it important to think about the process?
Among the new players there is a common thread visible to anyone watching Hajduk: evident intensity and hunger. For all this, Graf can be given a very high rating for this summer, almost a ten. The right side of attack can still be questioned. Dendoncker carries a certain physical risk. Some players need to be seen over a longer period.
The situation with Marko Livaja during the summer was a major problem for the entire club. These are legitimate topics. Exactly this is why, aside from enjoying success, one must stop and reflect. What if Pukštas had not scored? What if Raków's goalkeeper had not saved his own defender's shot and gifted a goal? Football is chaotic. Good decisions lead the club to a situation where more things are under control, but one strike from 30 metres can save or destroy everything.
The point is not to foolishly say 'what if this happened', because it did not. The point is that nothing that president Ivan Bilić, Robert Graf, and Gonzalo Garcia did in previous months would have changed. The process that led to success or failure would have been the same, but almost certainly the way the public judges their work would have changed. And that is a huge problem because the club is overly sensitive to public opinion. Hajduk now prepares for an away match against Rudes on September 6th, and all upcoming fixtures can be found in our fixtures schedule.
