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Is Harry Kewell’s signing the most notable transfer in the history of Australian sport? The question was asked yesterday after the former Liverpool star agreed to join Melbourne Victory, although another topic worth considering is how Kewell’s arrival will affect the rest of the A-League.
Kewell’s transfer is obviously a massive coup for the A-League and a considerable boost for Melbourne Victory, even if it’s impossible to quantify the magnitude of his signing compared to similarly high-profile transfers in other codes.
And while there’ll be plenty of hype around Kewell in the build-up to the A-League’s much-anticipated kick-off in October, it will die down quickly if the Socceroos star arrives in Australia unfit and struggling to perform on the pitch.
Already Kewell’s transfer has been offered a lukewarm appraisal by Sydney Morning Herald journalist Mike Cockerill, who says Kewell needs Australia more than we need him – not a surprising summary from a journalist who had a very public falling out with Kewell at the last World Cup.
A few weeks back Cockerill penned a piece claiming Sydney FC had contingency plans should they fail to sign Kewell, curiously naming Austrian goal machine Marc Janko and Swedish international Markus Rosenberg as potential targets, despite the fact both are entrenched squad members at FC Twente and Werder Bremen respectively.
Instead, the only new European name in the squad is Dutch defender Pascal Bosschart, although Slovakian veteran Karol Kisel is also back for a second spell.
But the playing qualities of those mentioned aside, perhaps the most glaring aspect of Sydney FC’s approaching campaign is that they’re still without a shirt sponsor.
And that’s a situation made all the more difficult to rectify by the fact Kewell has just signed for their biggest rival.
With Kewell aboard, Victory possess even more clout when it comes to luring sponsors, so the likes of Sydney FC and the no-frills Central Coast Mariners need their football to do the talking in the relentless fight for sponsorship dollars.
That’s not a major concern for Gold Coast United or the Newcastle Jets – bankrolled by billionaires Clive Palmer and Nathan Tinkler respectively – although neither have signed any big-name stars for the new campaign.
In fact, Gold Coast United go into the upcoming season essentially employing a youth-team squad sprinkled with a few veterans, including new Dutch signing Paul Beekmans.
It’s over in the west where much of the transfer activity has taken place, with Perth Glory embarking on an impressive spending spree.
Former English Premier League midfielder Liam Miller, ex-Adelaide United skipper Travis Dodd, the combative Bas van den Brink and the highly-rated Danny Vukovic are just some of the Glory’s eye-catching signings, while Shane Smeltz will look to form a potentially devastating strikeforce with ex-Socceroos flyer Mile Sterjovski.
Whether coach Ian Ferguson can mould the dispirate figures into a cohesive unit will be one of the more intriguing subplots of the new campaign, however passionate club owner Tony Sage invariably has his sights on upsetting the Victory apple-cart.
Adelaide United are another to have been active in the transfer market, bringing in ex-Ukrainian international Evgeniy Levchenko, Zenon Caravella, Jon McKain, Socceroos hopeful Dario Vidosic, Spase Dilevski and former fan favourite Bruce Djite, among others.
The Reds might have lost Marcos Flores to Chinese side Henan Jianye – perhaps they could sign Carlos Hernandez as his replacement? – but the South Australian outfit should be a tough team to beat this season, particularly at their Hindmarsh Stadium fortress.
I just wonder if all the hullabaloo surrounding Kewell might not prove a distraction to Melbourne Victory and an incentive to their rivals.
There’s no doubt the Victorian giants possess a star-studded squad, yet the circus surrounding Kewell may be just what Victory’s rivals need to inspire them to a legitimate title challenge.