Preparations for the new season in Bulgarian elite football are entering a decisive phase. Two of the capital's clubs — CSKA 1948 and Septemvri (Sofia) — are at key stages of their summer program, marked by transfer moves and planning of international controls.
CSKA 1948: From Bansko to Slovenia and prestigious European controls
Today, June 23, marks the finale of the first stage of CSKA 1948's summer training. The “Reds“ are finishing their camp in Bansko, where they have been isolated since June 8. The players will get a short break, after which the sports and technical staff will focus abroad. On June 26, the team will leave for the second, main stage of the summer training, which will be held in Slovenia and will last until July 9.
Incoming transfers:
Héctor Cuellar – defensive midfielder, Bolivian national team, signed by Always Ready
Jules Meyer – attacking midfielder (French)
Kostadin Iliev – central defender
Simeon Vassilev – left-back, returns to the club with a permanent contract after a loan
Outgoing transfers:
Luan Augusto – his contract is terminated by mutual consent
Sadio Dembele – loaned to Spartak Varna
Adama Traore – loaned to Arda Kardzhali
Arranged tests abroad: On Slovenian soil, the team will face authoritative rivals, with tests already officially confirmed.
June 29 (Monday): Partizan (Belgrade)
July 1 (Wednesday): Maribor
July 4 (Saturday): Varaždin
July 7 (Tuesday): Zelezničar (Pancevo)
Before leaving for Slovenia, the team recorded two victories at its first camp in Bansko — 3:2 against the Albanian Egnatia and 4:1 against the Kosovo Drita.
Septemvri Sofia: The big squad clean-up and a new look
The summer started with a large-scale personnel reshuffle in the Septemvri (Sofia) camp. The management, together with head coach Hristo Arangelov, undertook a serious purge to make room for new signings and young talents from their successful academy (whose U-18 team recently won the championship title and a quota for the UEFA Youth League).
Incoming transfers: Bozhidar Penchev – midfielder, announced as the first official summer signing
Outgoing transfers: Yanko Georgiev – the experienced goalkeeper joined Arda as a free agent
Georgi Varbanov – leaves due to contract expiration
Dominik Ivkic – leaves due to contract expiration
Valon Hamdiu – leaves the team
Stefan Stojanovic – returns to his home club after the expiration of the loan period
Simeon Vassilev – returns to CSKA 1948 after a loan
Currently, the staff of “September” is actively working on completing the new squad and finalizing the program with summer tests, in which the team's renewed look should be worked out before the official matches in the championship.