Noah's Ambitious Summer: Transfers, New Coach, and Champions League Dreams

Armenian champions FC Noah conducted an impressive transfer campaign in the summer of 2025, preparing for their UEFA Champions League qualifiers. The club appointed a new head coach — 41-year-old Croatian Sandro Perković — and signed several high-quality players. In this article, we review all of Noah’s summer transfers, analyze their revamped squad, and assess their European prospects.

Transfer Strategy: Free Agents and Rare Purchases

Like most Armenian clubs, Noah traditionally signs free agents, but this summer they made several paid transfers — a rarity in the Armenian Premier League. New arrivals include both foreign and domestic players who could significantly boost team performance:

In:

• Takuto Oshima (27, Japan, CM) – Signed from Universitatea Craiova (Romania) for €500k (market value: €1.2M). Currently the most expensive player in the Armenian league.

• Miloš Jakoliš (28, Croatia, winger) – Joined as a free agent from Macarthur FC (Australia), where he had 10 goals and 12 assists in 26 games (market value: €1M).

• Eric Boakye (28, Ghana, RB) – Signed from Aris Limassol (Cyprus). Fee undisclosed (value ~€700k).

• Alen Grgić (30, Croatia, winger/AM) – Free transfer from Slaven Belupo (value ~€600k).

• Hovhannes Harutyunyan (26, Armenia, CM) – Joined from Sochi (Russia) for €200k. Armenian international.

• David Sualehe (28, Portugal, LB) – Free agent from Olimpija Ljubljana (value ~€300k).

• Aram Hamoyan (25, Armenia, CM) – Free agent from BKMA. Ex-captain of Armenia U21 (value ~€125k).

Out:

• Grenik Petrosyan (Armenia, FW)

• Aleksandar Miljković (Serbia, DF)

• Eraldo Çinari (Albania, RW) – Contract expired; had 15 goals and 9 assists last season.

• James Santos (Brazil, LB)

• Bryan Mendoza (Ecuador, RB)

• Marcos Pedro (Brazil, LB)

• Bruno Almeida (Portugal, RW) – Returned to Santa Clara after loan (4 goals, 8 assists in half a season).

Most of the departures have been offset by equal or superior replacements. The flanks, for instance, now feature Grgić and Jakoliš — both with solid European experience. Oshima’s arrival is especially notable, as he’s now the league’s highest-valued player, underlining Noah’s serious ambitions.

New Coaching Staff: The Balkan Touch

• Head Coach: Sandro Perković (41, Croatia) – Advocates high-tempo positional football and pressing in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Formerly with Dinamo Zagreb.

Supporting Staff:

• Zlatko Bašić – Assistant coach. Ex-director of Pafos FC Academy (Cyprus).

• Romeo Mitrović – Goalkeeping coach. Formerly with Zrinjski Mostar, helped develop two Bosnian internationals.

• Mislav Juričević – Fitness coach. Worked with Croatia U16 and Pafos FC.

• Paolo Peresha – Video analyst. Ex-Dinamo Zagreb Academy specialist in data-based scouting.

This Balkan-style staff structure emphasizes youth development and analytics — rare for the Armenian league.

Domestic Player Quota: Armenian Core Intact

Armenian clubs must field at least 9 local players per matchday squad, with 3 on the pitch at all times. Noah complied by adding key Armenian signings and retaining a strong domestic core.

Current Armenian core (10 players):
Goalkeepers: Ognen Čančarević (naturalized), Artur Koneglian
Defenders: Hovhannes Hambardzumyan, Sergey Muradyan, Artur Movsesyan
Midfielders: Hovhannes Harutyunyan, Aram Hamoyan, Gor Manvelyan
Winger: Artyom Avanesyan
Forward: Zaven Khudaverdyan

2025/26 Squad Overview

Perković appears to be shaping a team built for a 4-2-3-1 system. The squad is well-rounded and deep across all lines:

Goalkeepers:

• Starter: Ognen Čančarević

• Backups: Aleksei Ploshchadny, Artur Koneglian

Defense:

• RB: Eric Boakye

• LB: David Sualehe

• CBs: Sergey Muradyan, Gonçalo Silva

• Subs: Gudmundur Thórarinsson, Nermin Zlotić, Artur Movsesyan, Hovhannes Hambardzumyan

Midfield:

• Holding: Takuto Oshima, Gustavo Sangaré

• Depth: Aram Hamoyan, Hovhannes Harutyunyan, Yan Eteki, Artak Dashyan, Martin Gamboš

Attack:

• CAM: Imran Oulad Omar (Netherlands/Morocco)

• Wingers: Hélder Ferreira (left), Miloš Jakoliš (right)

• Striker: Gonçalo Gregório (last season’s top scorer)

• Bench: Alen Grgić, Virgil Pinson, Gor Manvelyan, Artyom Avanesyan, Mateus Aias, Zaven Khudaverdyan

Youth Options:
Several promising talents — Michael Asiryan, Bilal Fofana, Mohammed Mbilia, Libasse Ngom, Andranik Karapetyan — have trained with the first team.

Verdict:
Noah has retained key players, added higher-quality reinforcements, and achieved squad depth. On paper, the 2025/26 squad looks stronger than last season.

European Prospects: The Champions League Path

Noah aims to reach the group stage of a European competition. As Armenian champions, they enter the UCL first qualifying round, where they face Montenegro’s Budućnost. It’s a winnable tie, especially since Budućnost lost their star Andrija Bulatović (sold to Lens for €2M).

If Noah progresses, they face Hungarian giants Ferencváros in the second round — a tough but not impossible challenge. Ferencváros is the favorite, but early-season form and underestimation could work in Noah’s favor.

Even if they lose, Noah will drop into the Europa League third qualifying round (Champions Path), with a realistic shot at group stage football. If that fails, they can still qualify for the Conference League group stage, considered the minimum target.

Prediction:
If team chemistry builds quickly, Noah could make history by reaching the Europa League group stage. At the very least, Conference League football is within reach. With depth, talent, and a strong coaching team, Noah is ready to defend their domestic title and make noise in Europe.