Lion City Sailors’ new winger Luka Adzic unfazed by Maxime Lestienne comparison

SINGAPORE – There are arguably few things more difficult for a footballer than trying to fill the void left by a club legend.

Starting this week, Serbian winger Luka Adzic will attempt to prove he has the goals and assists to be a worthy replacement at Lion City Sailors for Belgian star Maxime Lestienne, who left the club in December.

Making it an even more challenging scenario, the 27-year-old is likely to make his debut in the Singapore Cup final against BG Tampines Rovers at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Jan 10.

But he remains unfazed, saying: “I don’t think we’re the same type of players, but I don’t feel the pressure.

“Maxime is an excellent player. I know him from Belgium, he left a big mark in this club, and I’m sorry I didn’t have the opportunity to play together with him.

“Yes, my first game will be the final, but I don’t feel the pressure. I just arrived, and I will do my best to help the team win this game because I would like my first game to be marked by winning the Cup.

“As time goes by, I will be the best version of myself.”

An attacker who is adept at playing on the left or being the playmaker, Adzic arrives from Bangkok United, whom he helped finish runners-up in last season’s Thai League 1, just one point behind champions Buriram United.

Born in Belgrade, he joined local side Red Star at age six and rose through the ranks to win the Serbian SuperLiga in 2018.

Thereafter, he had stints in Belgium (Anderlecht), the Netherlands (FC Emmen and PEC Zwolle), Turkey (Ankaragucu) and returned to Serbia to play for Cukaricki from 2022 to 2024, before moving to Thailand.

With Lestienne’s impressive tally of 70 goals and 97 assists in 131 games helping the Sailors to one Singapore Premier League title, two Singapore Cup triumphs and an AFC Champions League Two (ACL2) final appearance, any attacker tasked to replace the Belgian will inevitably be held to scrutiny.

While Adzic’s tally of six goals and three assists in 43 games for Bangkok pales in comparison, he had left an impression on the Sailors in an ACL2 group game last November.

He scored the winner in a 2-1 victory at the Bishan Stadium which eventually sealed the Thai team’s progress to the knockout stage at the expense of the Singapore side.

Sailors coach Aleksandar Rankovic said: “Luka is a player who gives us something different in wide areas – he is very strong in one-on-one situations, sharp in tight spaces and capable of both scoring and creating goals.

“His playing style fits our philosophy perfectly and I’m confident he will excel here.”

It is believed that the Sailors had shown interest to sign Adzic two years ago.

Now that they have got their man on a contract till the end of the season, they hope he can be as successful as his former Bangkok teammate Richairo Zivkovic, who grabbed 15 goals and three assists in 19 games for the Sailors in 2023.

Adzic said: “Two years ago, I didn’t know much about the (Sailors) and Asian football. But, when I came to Asia, Richairo told me a lot of good things about the club and that helped me a lot to make a quick decision.

“I have played against the Sailors two times this season and I know the players, which is very important at the beginning.

“Yes, I scored against the Sailors, but now I’m very happy to have a chance to fight for titles because this is the best club in Singapore. I hope we will win everything we can at the end of the season.”

Adzic may not be the only player the Sailors will recruit from Bangkok United.

The Straits Times understands they could swoop in for playmaker Kyoga Nakamura, as the Thai club had announced mutual termination of the Japan-born Singapore international’s contract on Jan 6.

The 29-year-old had expressed his wishes to return to the Republic “for personal reasons” after making 17 appearances for them.