Earlier this week Tony Popovic announced that he would be staying at the Western Sydney Wanderers until the end of the 2016-17 season. The Wanderers finished second from the bottom this year following their Premier’s Plate win and Asian Champions League triumph.
Plenty of rumours have been brewing in Parramatta with Wanderers frontman Tomi Juric said to be linked with moves to Europe.
The Wanderers’s exited the group stage in the Asian Champions League despite a 0-2 win over Chinese team Guangzhou Evergrande midweek, and earlier that day Juric’s future was brought into question after a fake Facebook post stated that he was set to play his last game for the club.
Controversy arose as the Australian striker turned down a move to Italian Serie A giants Juventus, who visited Australia last August and who Juric scored the second goal against.
Juric has been linked to other moves in Italy such as Sampdoria, who enquired in February, and Empoli, where fellow Australian Joshua Brillante is currently on loan.
The Wanderers’ other Australian striker who joined earlier this year, Kerem Bulut, is set to leave at the end of the season. Belgian top flight clubs Cercle Brugge and Anderlecht, as well as FC Basel and FC Luzern, the club of fellow Australian Oliver Bozanic, have shown interest in the striker in his shot for a second stint in Europe.
A-League clubs Perth Glory and Central Coast Mariners are also sniffing around for the 23-year-old with expected Olyroo Jamie Mclaren expected leave at the end of the season and Central Coast looking for a replacement for Mitchell Duke, who joined Shimizu S-Pulse during the season. The 23-year-old joined the Wanderers in February and has since scored six goals in the league and Asian Champions League.
One of the players on Popovic’s shortlist is reported to be Italian striker Davide Succi. The 33-year-old plays for struggling and inevitably relegated side Cesena. Succi has spent all his career in Italy through the Serie B and briefly in the Serie A this season. on July 6, 2012 he moved to Cesena in the Serie B and a year later signed a three-year contract and won promotion for his side scoring five goals in 35 appearances. His contract expires at the end of next season and could be a useful marquee signing for the Wanderers.
Another signing the Wanderers have enquired for is Argentine Carlos Luna, who currently plays for Club Atletico Tigre in the Argentine Premier Division. The 33-year-old moved to the club on a free transfer in 2014 and signed a two-year contract. He has played 11 games out of 12 for the club scoring four goals, seven of those games coming off the bench.
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