The NK Varazdin Chronicle
Squad8 Feb 2027
A falling-out at NK Varazdin
Petar Bočkaj and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad8 Feb 2027
A move Noah Leembruggen would have made for nothing
There is a version of every career where the player ends up somewhere he chose rather than somewhere that chose him. Noah Leembruggen is living that version at NK Varazdin, and it tends to show in the first month.
Squad8 Feb 2027
A row about effort at NK Varazdin
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Frane Maglica was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad8 Feb 2027
Rob Stoop signs on for more
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Rob Stoop and NK Varazdin agree another 3 years.
The dugout8 Feb 2027
No hiding place for Mario Mladenovski
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mario Mladenovski, and the manager let it.
The dugout8 Feb 2027
Petar Bočkaj knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at NK Varazdin, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market8 Feb 2027
The Aleksa Latković story refuses to die
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Aleksa Latković signs something — a contract at NK Varazdin or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
The dugout8 Feb 2027
Novak Tepšić has been promised minutes
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Novak Tepšić has written the date down.
Market8 Feb 2027
NK Varazdin pick up Rob Stoop for nothing
The best deals are the ones the accountants never notice. Rob Stoop arrives at NK Varazdin with his wages the only cost and something to prove the only clause.
In brief
- Market Noah Leembruggen joins NK Varazdin on a free
- Market NK Varazdin and Rob Stoop are talking past each other
- The dugout The manager comes out for Roberto Punčec