By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The president of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet, Zeljko Drcelic, discussed several topics, including the team budget for the new season.
“The budget is similar to last year, at €20 million,” he revealed in an interview shared on the official YouTube channel of the Belgrade outfit on Sunday, referring to the sum of all expenses, from junior teams to the overall cost of the senior squad beyond contracts for players and coaches.
On the opposite end of the rivalry, Partizan Mozzart Bet recently announced a season budget of €27 million.
Summer moves and Milan Tomic
Serbian prospects in Stefan Milejenovic, Ognjen Radosic, Filip Skobalj, and Lazar Stojkovic were signed this summer, combining with fellow roster boosts in Tyson Carter, Devonte’ Graham, Ebuka Izundu, Chima Moneke, Jordan Nwora, Semi Ojeleye, and Jasiel Rivero.
“We made offers to those players, but ultimately could not match their financial demands,” Drcelic also discussed offseason negotiations, without specifically referring to falling shy of a reunion with Serbian players the likes of Vasilije Micic and Marko Guduric.
However, a reunion beyond the court featured Milan Tomic, appointed general manager.
“I wanted to hire him. I spoke with him twice before our agreement, and he also wanted to join the team. He even said something that delighted me, ‘I have unfinished business at Zvezda’,” pointed out the Zvezda president, “He accepted a lesser offer compared to to his financial conditions at Milan, he is highly skilled both as a manager and a coach, and can be a great help to Giannis Sfairopoulos and the players, as well as to me as the club president.”
“Belgrade deserves two EuroLeague teams”
Following the 2024-25 campaign, both Zvezda and Partizan received three-year EuroLeague licenses.
“That license was talked about a lot, and I’m especially proud. Nemanja Vasiljevic and I had some video calls with the EuroLeague officials, and I didn’t want to keep discussing it over video calls anymore, so I told Nemanja that we should go to Barcelona to get the license. It means a lot to us, and I’m really proud that we did it. We weren’t just focusing on Crvena zvezda there, but we were seeking a license for Serbian clubs, which deserve to have two EuroLeague teams. Belgrade deserves two EuroLeague teams,” mentioned Drcelic.
In Round 1 of the EuroLeague Regular Season, the team coached by Sfairopoulos hosts EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in Belgrade Arena on Tuesday.