Behind the scenes: How the transfer of Yonas Malede to Hapoel Be'er Sheva was closed
Malede had already undergone medical tests in Be'er Sheva, but the club feared until the last moment that the owner of Maccabi Tel Aviv would torpedo the deal, which stood in contrast to the policy of the 'yellows' in recent years. Also: the reinforcement plans that remain for the team.
A great drama took place behind the scenes before the transfer of Yonas Malede to Hapoel Be'er Sheva, which was revealed by ynet — a deal that stands in complete contrast to the policy adopted by Maccabi Tel Aviv in recent years. While Maccabi Tel Aviv declared that they would no longer make transfers to direct rivals in the championship race, Hapoel Be'er Sheva secretly agreed with the player on his arrival for medical tests.
All this while the management of the 'yellows', who had already been burned in the past by similar transfers of Dan Biton, Mahran Radi, and Eitan Tibi, is under heavy pressure from the fans following the lack of significant reinforcement alongside a wave of departures. Malede, who rarely played in his three years at Maccabi Tel Aviv since being purchased from Mechelen for 350,000 euros, arrived in the morning in Be'er Sheva and has already completed the medical tests. In the southern club, they feared until the last moment that Mitch Goldhar would torpedo the deal, with the hope that it would be completed before the team's departure for the Champions League playoff match against Sabail in Bucharest (Wednesday, 22:00). Only at 14:00 (07:00 in Toronto) was the green light received for the transfer, in exchange for 100,000 euros.
Malede is expected to earn less than at Maccabi Tel Aviv. Last season, the midfielder participated in only seven matches and scored two goals in total since joining from Belgium. The one who insisted on his addition is coach Ran Kozuch, who coached him in the past at Maccabi Netanya before his departure to Europe. Kozuch has a clear preference for players he has already worked with, as happened also with Niv Yehoshua and Marco Wolf who arrived from Maccabi Petah Tikva. From Be'er Sheva's perspective, the Malede deal fits into a concept that has become almost a policy:
"We have created a tradition of success in transfers of players from Maccabi Tel Aviv to Be'er Sheva. With us, everyone becomes much better and much more significant," they said at the club.
Now, after the completion of the deal, Hapoel Be'er Sheva does not intend to add more Israeli players, not even those playing abroad. Mohammad Abu Fani, who earns 750,000 euros at Red Star Belgrade and was mentioned as a candidate to leave following the dismissal of Dejan Stankovic, is not a candidate to arrive in the Negev capital. Be'er Sheva's reinforcement plans will be directly influenced by its success or failure in the Champions League playoffs. The aspiration is to add two quality foreign players - a defender and a midfielder - by the closing of the transfer window in three weeks, but as of now, suitable candidates have not yet been found.
