Jakarta Casual

With LionsXII yet to be assured of qualifying from their group in the Malaysis Cup their players are increasingly being targeted by Malaysian clubs.

T Team are reporting Safuwan Baharudin has already inked a deal with them worth $10,000 a month.

Premier League, Malaysia's second tier team, claim they have signed Baihakki Khazian, Safuwan's partner in the Lions defence.

Also in Johor the other club there, Johor Darul Takzim are saying Hariss Harun will be their player next season where he will line up alongside some chap named Pablo Aimar.

And it's not just the players. Lions coach V Sundramorthy is reportedly set to sign for Negeri Sembilan.

I guess this is one unexpected effect of having LionsXII in the Malaysia Super League.

They won the title of course earlier this season and if T Team can afford to have Safuwan on that kind of money, they aren't the biggest supported team in the land, then perhaps some money is starting to flow into the game there after clubs like Kelantan and Terengganu have shifted the balance of power away from the traditional clubs like Selangor.

We can also expect players like Sime Darby's prolific striker Karlo Primorac to attract covetous glances as well when clubs start getting serious about next season.

For now, the focus remains on the Malaysia Cup but certainly alot of noises coming out of Malaysia suggest the club sides there are getting ready to replicate the national team's recent success.

For LionsXII next season they are set to look a very different beast, shorn of their big names. Rumours remain Shahril Ishak could also be on the way out so we can expect to see several of the current Young Lions team make the step up. A team who only recently won their first game of the season!

These are exciting times on the peninsula!