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SINGAPORE – Local football’s Young Player of the Year Ilhan Fandi is ready to fly the coop to further his development as a player. After scoring 20 goals in 27 Singapore Premier League (SPL) and Singapore Cup matches for Albirex Niigata in 2022, Ilhan confirmed he will not be playing in next season’s SPL. But he was coy when asked about his next destination. He told The Straits Times: “I think I had a good season this year, and my goal has always been to go overseas and test myself even more in a different environment. I feel it’s best to make the move now, and everything will be finalised soon.” The 20-year-old forward is with the national team in Chiba, Japan, for their Dec 1-12 training camp in preparation for the Asean Football Federation Championship, which kicks off on Dec 20. ST understands that Belgian second-tier club KMSK Deinze is the likelier of two options for him. Deinze are eighth in the 12-team Challenger Pro League with six matches left. After a rough start this season, they have suffered just one loss in their last seven games and are the only non top-flight club in the last 16 of the Belgian Cup. This is their third season in the second tier after they gained promotion in 2020 by winning the Belgian First Amateur Division. Interestingly, Deinze were taken over in January by Singapore-based investment fund ACA Football Partners, which is hoping to make the club the centre of its multi-club ownership model. It is aiming to play in the top tier when it celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2026. Ilhan’s other option is Austin FC’s second team in the Major League Soccer (MLS) Next Pro league in the United States. The American side will launch their Next Pro team in 2023 to play in the second season of what is effectively the third tier of the US league system, below the MLS and United Soccer League Championship. Once Ilhan commits, he will become the first Singaporean footballer to ply his trade in the country he picks. He will also be following in the footsteps of his family members who had ventured overseas. His famous father Fandi Ahmad played for Dutch side Groningen (1983-1985) among other foreign teams, while older brothers Irfan and Ikhsan Fandi are now with Thailand’s BG Pathum. Ikhsan had also featured for Norway’s second-tier teams Raufoss (2019-2020) and FK Jerv (2020-2021). https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/football/football-singapore-starlet-ilhan-fandi-set-for-overseas-move?utm_campaign=stfb&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook