Can a fortress be built in a single summer? RK Zagreb is not just asking the question; they are answering it with concrete, steel, and ambition. The defending Croatian champions have wrapped up their domestic campaign with a Cup victory in Poreč, and the league title against Sesvete is practically in the bag. But the real drama unfolds off the pitch, where a seismic shift is reshaping the club’s future.

A New Era Under Horvat

Gone is the uncertainty. In comes Hrvoje Horvat, the former national team coach who tamed the storm in Schaffhausen. He takes the main coaching chair, bringing with him Tonči Valčić as assistant. Arian Jović remains the goalkeeper guru, but the most emotional twist involves captain Jakov Gojuna. The legend hangs up his playing boots to become the team’s technician, staying in the fold but changing his role. It is a passing of the torch, literal and figurative.

Forging the Ultimate Defense

The roster is undergoing a complete metamorphosis. Veterans like Luka Lovre Klarica, Kavčič, and Prztyula are departing. But the void is being filled with heavy hitters. Marko Mamić arrives from Leipzig, signing a three-year deal. Sports director Damir Bičanić did not mince words: with Mamić, Zlatko Raužan, Diano Ćeško, Jovica Nikolić, and Gleb Kalaraš, Zagreb will boast one of the best defenses in the Champions League. The era of the impenetrable wall begins now.