Brett Holman’s transfer to the UK to join Aston Villa was greeted as a great move by many, but by some it was a sign that our days of widespread English Premier League representation are over.
While it is true the Golden Generation of Australian football talent might be hard to replicate, if ever, it is not as if we have no Australians doing well in European leagues. Take the EPL for example.
Currently, Tim Cahill (Everton) and Mark Schwarzer (Fulham) are regulars, while Chris Herd is emerging at Aston Villa and Vince Grella is in the Blackburn squad – one that probably will be relegated. Let’s also not forget Massimo Luongo, the 19-year old from Sydney who is signed by Tottenham and has played for Spurs in the League Cup.
But it’s not all bad news.
In the Championship we have a number of players who are good enough to play in the EPL and are fighting to get in. Reading are currently second on the table in the battle for promotion and their goalkeeper, first-choice Adam Federici, is certainly talented enough to play in the top flight. Reading also have two promising Aussie youngsters, Cameron and Ryan Edwards, on their books.
In third place in the Championship is West Ham, and although Dylan Tombides hasn’t been sighted because of a major illness, he will certainly be pushing for selection when fit (which is believed to be very soon). The Joeys star has already played in the EPL last season and been likened to Harry Kewell.
Then there is Middlesborough, at the moment in a play-off spot in fourth. The side contains Rhys Williams and Scott McDonald. Williams is immensely talented and has already been a target for EPL clubs, and would surely handle the step up well. McDonald would not be a first-choice in an EPL side but I believe he could be handy squad player coming off the bench.
There are several other Australians plying their trade in the Championship, but most don’t have chance for promotion this season. So if we wait two months there should be another one, two, or possibly even four, Aussies making their way in the Premier League.
And while the EPL is the most popular football league in the world, and arguably the fastest and toughest, it is not necessarily the best. The Spanish and Italian leagues can lay claim to exhibiting a higher level of skill and technical acumen on a regular basis. This is evident in the current season of the European Champions League.
Personally, it is just as important to have Australians playing in La Liga and the Serie A, as it is in the EPL. We want our best players exposed to different styles and training methods, not just the one football culture in England.
To my understanding John Aloisi has been the only Aussie to play regularly in Spain, after a short stint in Italy where he scored on debut.
In Italy we have been a bit more successful – Frank Farina paved the way, at Bari, while success came later to the likes of Vince Grella and Mark Bresciano. At the moment we have Socceroo Carl Valeri on the brink of making it into the Serie A with Sassuolo, with his club in fourth spot in Serie B with 56 points right now, but just three points off second place.
It would be fantastic to see more Australians crack the top flights of Italy and Spain, as would it be to see them starring in Germany and Holland.
Holland is a fantastic breeding ground for talent and the Bundesliga may not be sexy but it is a very professional, very respected competition, with the likes of Matthew Leckie, Nikita Rukavysta and Mitch Langerak trying to make a name for themselves. We can add Musti Amini to that list soon.
We will see more Aussies make the EPL in the future? Yes.
Should we be ringing alarm bells on our representation in Europe’s top flight? Not yet. But keep the faith.
Will our current flock reach the Golden Generation’s Euro heights of about 10 years ago? Lets wait and see.
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