This is how Standard could have acquired Adriano Bertaccini, the championship’s top scorer, for free less than two years ago

However, Standard did not go on the attack. Adriano Bertaccini’s eleven goals in seventeen matches have obviously not sufficiently convinced the Rouches recruitment unit. Or, in any case, not quickly enough because it was Saint-Trond which managed to obtain his signature against a check estimated at eight hundred thousand euros. Today, the pocket attacker (1.73m) has become the darling of Stayen and has scored one more goal (eight) than the entire Standard team.

This statistic alone attests to the lack of flair of the Liège leaders in a matter which seemed within their reach. The player only played eleven kilometers from the Sclessin offices and represented a magnificent financial opportunity, with a monthly salary at RFCL estimated at three thousand euros, bonuses included. A trifle, even for a Standard with empty checkouts.

This is not the first missed opportunity for Liégeois in this matter. During the 2022-2023 season, Adriano Bertaccini revealed himself in the colors of Thes, in Nationale 1. His twenty-seven goals quickly attracted the attention, including that of main recruiters. But, once again, too late. At that time, the striker was willing to join the U23s in the Challenger Pro League to acclimatize to the professional world before receiving a chance with the first team. RFC Liège took advantage of this and was able to recruit him… for free! With the success that we all know today.

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Of course, it’s impossible to say whether Adriano Bertaccini would have had the same success with SL 16 or even Standard, but this record perfectly illustrates the lack of attention the club pays to Challenger Pro League talent. “I experienced this division ten years ago with Sint-Truiden. At the time, it was a complicated competition, with thirty-four matches and only five or six professional clubs. Now, everyone can beat everyone the world There is more visibility and professionalism The level is therefore more competitive Before, it was impossible for a player to go from Heist to Standard, for example, whereas today, it is absolutely possible. imagine a good element of the Top 5 winning at Sclessin”explains Yannick Ferrera, RWDM coach.

Historically, Standard has very rarely drawn from the reservoir of the elite antechamber. The last transfer resembling the Bertaccini file dates back to the 2011-2012 season. The leaders had concluded the arrival of Guy Dufour, who had a string of good performances with Lommel United (nine goals, sixteen assists) after a stint in the Dutch lower divisions. This midfielder had been presented as a potential successor to Steven Defour, announced at the start, but ultimately did not play a single meeting with the Rouches!

This example certainly did not encourage subsequent sports directors to take a close interest in the elite lobby. “I spoke about it with Bruno Venanzi, Axel Lawarée and Olivier Renard. I presented them with D1B players but, in my opinion, many sports decision-makers do not have the eye to look for the right profile, except Olivier Renard who worked wellsays Eric Depireux, an agent knowledgeable about the Challenger Pro League. I sometimes have the impression that leaders are afraid of making a mistake and therefore prefer to spend more money to find a stranger that no one knows.”

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Last summer, Standard recruited elements who already look like failures: Mohamed Badamosi, Grejohn Kyei, Viktor Djukanovic, Boli Bolingoli and Sotiris Alexandropoulos. These transfers do not represent large financial investments but the club could have purchased higher quality items by spending the same amount of money, or even less. Salaries in D1B are not important, except for certain elements of Zulte Waregem and Lommel, supported by the City Football Group. “On average, a player earns between 3,500 and 8,000 euros per month. For a D1A club, these amounts represent a detail”continue Eric Depireux.

This season again, there is no shortage of good picks. “I could quote you Ilyes Ziani, our player who arrived from Standard this summer. He clearly has the level to play in D1A. The reasoning is identical with regard to Kiki Vanrafelghem, number ten of Patro Eisden. There is no a lot of players like that in our series who would have their place a step higher”continues Yannick Ferrera.

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Adnane Abid, a technical winger from Patro who grew up in Verviers, Dermane Karim, the midfielder from Lommel, and Pape Demba Diop, midfielder from Zulte Waregem, are other examples of good moves to make. “There is no shortage of successes. Edmilson Junior first exploded in D2 before emerging among the elite, just like Rob Schoofs, who is still the captain of Mechelen. I also remember that Leandro Trossard played in our division and look today where he is”details the RWDM coach.

Yannick Ferrera continues: “I don’t think that D1A clubs, whether it’s Standard or another, underestimate D1B. It’s sometimes more interesting for certain people and certain clubs to look for players abroad via such or such an agent, to scout for six weeks a player who plays a few kilometers away and who corresponds to the desired playing philosophy.”

As Eric Depireux states, “of Adriano Bertaccini, there are others” ! But in a few months, it is Saint-Trond which risks hitting the jackpot for the Carolo striker. Too bad because Standard would have really needed this golden deal…