Serbie Rides Again: Kaludjerovic Leaves Port

Port FC officially announced today what we have known since last Friday – much-travelled Serbian no10 Andrija Kaludjerovic has left the club and returned home to his native Serbia. Speaking exclusively to The Sandpit, Kalu told us that he is going home to be with his family as his wife is pregnant, but that he was also dissatisfied with his situation at Port.

“I’m not playing here, and I’m tired of being substitute” he told us. “I didn’t get a chance at Port. I don’t know why…but anyway, now I’m looking forward to new opportunities.”

Kalu arrived at Port off the back of a stellar season in the Lithuanian league, scoring 20 times in 19 appearances for Zalgiris, and came highly recommended by his former Racing Santander teammate Rochela who praised his goal poaching abilities. But after visibly struggling with the pace and possibly the heat in his first couple of starts, despite scoring against Suphanburi he fell behind Josimar and even Tana in the pecking order under Jadet, and whilst Zico gave him a few starts – and was rewarded with a couple of goals – it’s clear that, with Port sticking to their tried & tested 4-5-1 formation, there is no place in the lineup for a six-yard box specialist. With his wife pregnant and the European season about to get underway, it obviously makes sense for him to return home.

Looking at the bigger picture, Kalu’s departure makes Port’s already calamitous June transfer window look even more shambolic. Port had two foreign transfers available, and used these to drop Kalu and replace him with Maranhao, and then reverse the decision. Now Kalu has gone, Port are left with just 4 foreign players, but even worse, only one striker worthy of the name in Josimar. Let’s hope Josi drives that motorbike of his veeeeery carefully for the rest of the season, because the thought of either Tana or Wuttichai playing as the lone striker in a 4-5-1 is not one I wish to dwell on.

And let’s also hope that, with Zico starting to stamp his authority on the club, such farcical transfer dealings are a thing of the past!

Tim Russell

The founder and editor of The Sandpit, Tim has been in SE Asia since 2003 and in Bangkok since 2012, where he runs a travel tech business. Tim has followed Port FC since 2014, and is also a fan of his hometown club Coventry City, and French club AS St-Etienne. He has written for the likes of Football365, ITV.com, NME and The Quietus, and is a regular contributor to God Is In the TV. He's a keen photographer and his work can be seen on his website.