Avi Nimni knows this club better than almost anyone alive, having scored more goals for Maccabi Tel Aviv than any player in its history, and his verdict on this summer's rebuild carries weight: the squad, he says, is not finished yet.
"The team needs to bring in another winger and a new defender," Nimni said on ONE's Sicha HaYom programme, where he now appears regularly as a pundit alongside his work as a players' agent.
His comments came with the injury to Kristijan Belić fresh in mind. The Serbian midfielder fractured a metatarsal in his foot after coming on as a substitute in Maccabi's 5-0 win over Sheriff Tiraspol in Europa League qualifying, a knock that could keep him out for up to three months.
That is a blow to a squad Maccabi have otherwise spent the summer strengthening. Belić himself was only just turned into a permanent Maccabi player, with the club paying AZ Alkmaar roughly €1.3 million to make his loan move official for the new season after 23 appearances in yellow last term.
The club has also brought in Slovenia international striker Ester Sokler from Serbian side Radnički Kragujevac, a deal reported at around €1 million, with Sokler having scored 15 goals in 29 appearances for Radnički last season and earned his senior Slovenia debut in June.
Nimni was cautious about passing judgement on the new striker just yet, saying he wants to see more of Sokler alongside Sayed Abu Farchi before assessing how the forward line fits together — but his broader point stood: even with Belić and Sokler in, he believes Maccabi are still short a winger and a defensive body, particularly with Belić now sidelined.
Asked about Roy Revivo, whose future has been a recurring subject of transfer talk, Nimni offered nothing new: "not for now," he said, declining to elaborate further on the winger's situation.
The interview also touched on family news. Nimni's 19-year-old son, Amit, has signed his first senior contract, joining second-tier Hapoel Kfar Shalem after a prolific youth season with Shimshon Tel Aviv. Avi Nimni said he tries to stay out of his son's career decisions, hoping only that Amit will "learn, work hard and enjoy himself" under new coach Noam Shoham.
For Maccabi Tel Aviv, though, the headline message from one of the club's most respected voices is a note of caution heading into the new season: reinforcements already made are welcome, but in Nimni's eyes, the rebuild is not complete.
