Valletta today presented their new signings ahead of the new season during a news conference at the Vivaldi Hotel.

The new players are goalkeeper Nicky Vella, who joins from Tarxien Rainbows, Ryan Camilleri, who was on Hibernians' books, Maltese Australian winger Adrian Zahra, Portuguese mid-fielder Hugo Faria, Hamed Alkamali, from the UAE and Raphael Kooh-Sohna, from Cameroon, who played for Pieta Hotspurs in the last two seasons.

Victor Sciriha, the Valletta president, announced that Brazilian winger Denni was leaving the club as he needed to return to Brazil for family reasons.

Gambian midfielder Hamza Barry was also seeking pastures new as he was on the verge of signing for Tunisian Club Esperance.

Sciriha said he was confident the new signings would replace the players who left the club and tipped Valletta, which last season won a league and cup double, to be among the main challengers for the honours.

Looking ahead to Valletta’s Champion’s League home clash with Azerbaijan’s Qarabag, Mr Schiriha said the draw could not have been worse for his club not only because of the strength of the opposition, which had an annual budget of €11 million, but also due to travel and visa complications to make the trip to Azerbaijan for the second leg.

However, the Valletta president was convinced that the team players would do their utmost to give a good account of themselves in these matches and appealed to the club’s numerous supporters to get behind the Citizens in Tuesday first leg at the national stadium.

Mr Sciriha said that sale of tickets for next week’s match were going well.

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