Graham Arnold has reaffirmed his desire to remain in the head coaching role when the Central Coast Mariners take on J-League side Nagoya Grampus in their final-round group match of the Asian Champions League (ACL) on May 15.
With mounting speculation that he will join Sydney FC as early as this week, Arnold said his focus is still on the job at hand.
“While I am flattered by the interest from both Sydney FC and the Central Coast, my focus has always been on both the A-League and the ACL,” Arnold said.
“I owe that to this group of players.”
One player who won’t be involved in the Mariners’ crucial next match in Nagoya is Pedj Bojic.
The off-contract defender played a starring role in the 5-1 thrashing of Tianjin Teda, but earned the ire of his coach with his second yellow card of the campaign, earning him an automatic one-match suspension.
“Pedj is a good player and turned out a good performance, but it’s frustrating that he will miss the next match,” Arnold said.
“That’s 21 yellows in two seasons. He has let both himself and the the team down.”
Group G rivals Seongnam and Nagoya Grampus played out a 1-1 draw on Tuesday night, meaning a win will see the Mariners reach the knock-out stages of the continental competition for the first time.
If the Mariners seal second spot, a potential knock-out match against Adelaide United looms should the Reds top Group E.
In what would be a huge boost for the A-League, such a meeting would guarantee an Australian club would feature in the quarter-finals of the ACL.
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