No longer an underdog: Can Hapoel Petah Tikva generate continuity?
After a surprising rise to the upper playoffs, Hapoel Petah Tikva opens the season with high expectations and an upgraded budget - but the element of surprise is lost and the preparation was lackluster.
After a very successful return season to the Premier League, Hapoel Petah Tikva arrives at the 2026/27 season no longer an underdog. Omer Peretz's team reached the upper playoffs last year, far beyond early expectations, and now faces a different kind of test - to become a stable team in the Premier League.
"Last season proved that we can be in the Premier League and compete in it with dignity," says sporting director Nir Levin. "The next step is to generate continuity alongside presenting attractive football, and to connect as quickly as possible between the new players and the core that succeeded."
In Petah Tikva, they chose continuity first and foremost. Omer Peretz remains on the sidelines, Levin continues, and a significant part of the core that led the team last season has been kept. At the same time, the club increased the budget, which will stand this season at about 31 million shekels. Despite the increase, Hapoel Petah Tikva is still not in the same financial arena as the clubs with high budgets in the league, so the squad building is done while trying to maintain a balance between point reinforcement, continuity, and promoting young players with potential.
As a club owned by the fans through the "Blue" association, the association members also have a significant part in the financial picture. Towards the 2026/27 season, the number of members stands at 1,480, and so far 4.94 million shekels have been raised out of a target of 5.5 million - almost 90 percent of the amount. The numbers illustrate once again the weight of the crowd in the club, not only in the stands but also in the ability to set the budget and build a competitive team.
On the professional side, Hapoel Petah Tikva did not carry out a revolution in the squad, but did add a series of players with the goal of deepening it. Guy Badash and Harel Shalom came from Hapoel Jerusalem, Yazan Nassar joined from Hapoel Tel Aviv, Stav Israeli arrived after serving as captain of Bnei Yehuda, Itay Ehud was loaned from Maccabi Haifa, and Karim Kimbidi was purchased from Orlando Pirates after a season at M.S. Ashdod. Also, Avishai Cohen was added from Ashdod, Teddy Damlash came from Ramat HaSharon, and Roy Sasson was loaned from Beitar Jerusalem with a purchase option. Sasson's addition is intended to create competition with Omer Katz for the first goalkeeper jersey.
Two more moves were intended to add experience with players who know the system. Gabonese defender Alex Moussounda, who arrived on loan in January and became a significant player, remained at the club and signed for two years. In the front part, French striker Franck Rivollier returned for a second term after playing last season for the city rival Maccabi Petah Tikva.
Continuity in the squad alongside the newcomers also had partings. The most prominent of these were those of defender Itay Rotman who moved to Be'er Sheva and Matan Gosha, the home-grown player who left after eight seasons and moved to Bnei Sakhnin. But the big story of the transfer window may still be a player who is leaving. Portuguese Moreirense is conducting negotiations to purchase Zambian winger Chipioka Songa and has raised its offer to about 600 thousand euros, plus percentages from a future sale. His departure will be significant, but may also bring into the club's coffers an amount that will allow for additional moves until the window closes. Also around Roi David, one of the team's prominent players last season, there is interest. David is signed to a long-term contract without an exit clause, so Hapoel Petah Tikva is in a better position regarding his future. The question of which of the two, if any, will remain may affect the team's professional ceiling.
The squad is not yet final, and Hapoel Petah Tikva has expressed interest in Beitar Jerusalem defender Ori Dahan, who is not in his team's professional plans, but at this stage prefers to examine options abroad. If last season any achievement beyond establishing a foothold in the league was accepted as a bonus, this season the bar of expectations is already higher. Precisely against this background, the Toto Cup games provided some cause for concern. Hapoel Petah Tikva opened with a 0:1 victory in the derby over Maccabi Petah Tikva, but then recorded four consecutive losses - 2:1 to Hapoel Ramat Gan, 2:0 to Maccabi Netanya, 3:1 to Hapoel Jerusalem, and 1:0 to Bnei Sakhnin. Not only the results are worrying, but also the ability of the players. The team struggled to create situations, conceded eight goals in the four losses, and presented defensive ability far from that which characterized it in the good moments of last season. On the other hand, the club treats the Toto Cup also as part of the preparation, with load distribution, testing players, and a squad that is still under construction.
After the upper playoffs last season, it will be difficult to return the bar of expectations to the starting point of a newly promoted team. A second consecutive upper playoff will be a significant achievement, but the road to it is expected to be more complex. A year ago the team returned to the Premier League without much noise and surprised everyone. Now the rivals know it, and it will have to prove that it is capable of turning success into its way.
