Kitchee reduced the Hong Kong Premier League this season to a one-horse race, and club president Ken Ng Kin has promised they will be “stronger and better” when it comes time to take on their big-money Asian rivals next term.
As well as the pursuit of a star striker which Ng does not expect to conclude until the end of the summer, Kitchee have quietly completed their signings, with Lee Man’s Everton pair Camargo and Dudu believed to be among those expected to join.
Ng expects a “completely different team” for the second push for the AFC Champions League to come, and said coach Inigo Calderon is “more comfortable” after almost a year in charge.
Given the recent struggles of Hong Kong clubs in Asian competitions, Kitchee were knocked out of the group stage in their final match of the 2023-24 campaign.
Still, they reached the last 16 stage of the tournament affected by Covid-2022.
“We want to improve on that, which means reaching the quarter-finals,” Ng said. “It’s not easy, because other clubs are investing money … but we will try hard. We want to make Hong Kong proud.”
