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There is always a time when players come and go. With the departures of Alessandro Del Piero, Shinji Ono and possibly Emile Heskey and William Gallas, the A-League will need to rebuild itself and find new marquees.
And if people don’t admit it, then that is the most likely sign the A-League has grown. Here are a few Australian and international stars that clubs should have on their shopping list.
Diego Forlan
He seems the most likely striker to join the A-League. The Uruguayan international has played for the top European clubs like Manchester United and Atletico Madrid and is currently playing with J-League side Cerezo Osaka with Aussie Mitch Nichols.
Forlan is already rumoured to be the next marquee for Sydney FC to replace Del Piero, so maybe he could be the next superstar in the league.
Brett Holman
The former Aston Villa forward has done all he could for Australia. He did announce his retirement a couple of weeks ago and he is still playing overseas, but it would be great if he returned the favour to the country he was born in.
The two clubs that I think should snatch him up are Perth or Central Coast. Shane Smeltz has left the Glory for Sydney and Mile Sterjovski has retired. At the Mariners, Bernie Ibini has left and Marcos Flores was not offered a new contract. Each club has space to fit in Holman.
Damien Duff
Not the type of player to be called a marquee, but the midfielder, who will be leaving relegated Fulham, could be considering a move to the A-League or the MLS.
Perth Glory could be a good fit since the retirement of Jacob Burns leaves some space in the midfield.
Joshua Kennedy
‘Jesus’ would be a great inclusion to the A-League. He has played in the J-League for as long as we have known him. He is the man that headed the ball in the back of the net to hand Australia their forth World Cup appearance.
The Manchester City-invested Melbourne Heart are on the look out for a marquee and Kennedy is on that shortlist, he would great for the debut of a new era of an A-League club.
Didier Drogba
This would be a very hard player to buy but that is what they said about Del Piero. Drogba just announced he is leaving Galatasaray and on the search for a new club after the World Cup.
He is another player on Sydney FC’s mind for a new marquee. But if he was interested in something similar to the English Premier League, why not join Melbourne Heart with a Man City-like team to play with?
Luke Wilkshire
The right back has done a good job playing with Australia, and will most likely make it three consecutive World Cups. He defends well, he is great at penalties and he even has an eye for goal. He is something every team needs.
The Western Sydney Wanderers may be looking for a new right back as Jerome Polenz could be leaving the club. If Wilkshire joined the Red and Black Bloc, he could be a part of the Socceroos connection of Nikolai Toper-Stanley, Matthew Spiranovic and Michael Beauchamp.
Andrea Pirlo
Another impossible choice, but never day never. With the Del Piero effect that spreaded through the league, Pirlo’s former captain of Juventus could give him some tips of Australia. The Italian maestro is already coming to the country with Juve playing the A-League All Stars in August, he could see the talent that the league brings to the world’s best.
Tim Cahill
One of Australia’s greatest heroes. The boxing Socceroo would be fantastic in the A-League. His contract with New York Red Bulls expires when the season ends, he could join a club during January on a one or two-and-a-half year deal with a club.
The Wanderers and Melbourne Heart should keep an eye out for Cahill. WSW will be without Shinji Ono, Aaron Mooy and Youssouf Hersi next season and will need some new midfielders to link with Iacopo La Rocca and Mateo Poljak. The Heart have lost former Socceroo Harry Kewell and maybe Orlando Engelaar so they should make sure they get Cahill.
Frank Lampard
The last football player that I think should join the A-League is one of the best midfielders in the world. Lampard is a player that could be out of contract with Chelsea FC and could soon be looking for a new home, so why not move to the A-League?
The club I think should sign Lampard is Sydney FC. The experience of Shane Smeltz and Sasa Ognenovski and Lampard would show a lot of leadership in the club, like what Alessandro Del Piero, Dwight Yorke and Steve Corica have provided for Sydney. He can help out in the midfield and lead youngsters like Rhyan Grant, Terry Antonis and Hagi Gligor.
So, Roarers, who would you like as a marquee in the A-League?
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