No chairman, no general manager and no trainer anymore. KV Kortrijk is in an impasse, but Malaysian owner Vincent Tan is not panicking. “Everything will be fine,” says his right-hand man Ken Choo. There would still be talks with a potential buyer and that is no longer Bournemouth or Burnley.
Ken Choo is CEO of KV Kortrijk and can be described as the eyes and ears of Vincent Tan at the West Flemish club. He was in Kortrijk on Friday when chairman Ronny Verhelst and general manager Matthias Leterme announced their resignation. Both left out of dissatisfaction with the owner. They leave the club due to Vincent Tan’s seemingly low interest in the club and difficult communication. Trainer Bernd Storck had previously announced that he was not interested in an extended stay at the Guldenspoorstadion.
“I get a lot of calls from Belgium,” says Ken Choo when we get on the phone. “I can reassure everyone: everything will be fine.”
Choo, who says he has already traveled back to his home base in the United Kingdom, does not want to give any more explanation. The man sounds relaxed. “In the near future I will return to Belgium and I will clarify.”
General manager Matthias Leterme and chairman Ronny Verhelst resigned last week out of dissatisfaction. — © Photo Kurt
Crucial period
Whether all this is enough to appease the worried KVK family is the question. After all, the club is in a crucial period with a view to next season. A new trainer has to be found, new players have to be attracted and with the possible outgoing transfer files around Faïz Selemani (29), Tsuyoshi Watanabe (26) and Abdelkahar Kadri (22) there is still some work on the table.
It is still unclear to what extent Matthias Leterme can/may/will still act. The general manager still has a few months’ notice, but it does not seem expedient for him to put together a new coaching staff and attract new players as the outgoing director. It therefore depends on how quickly Vincent Tan and his right-hand man Ken Choo can provide replacements.
© BELGA
Transferee
In the meantime it has been confirmed that the Premier League clubs Burnley and Bournemouth visited Kortrijk. Bournemouth was put off by the infrastructure and Burnley’s interest also cooled. Negotiations with Vincent Kompany’s club were too difficult, according to our information, because the price was pushed up. Burnley decided to invest in the selection after promotion to the Premier League.
In the meantime, another buyer has emerged, but no details are known. Nor is it really specific. Owner Vincent Tan seems to be considering a sale after all.