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Melbourne Victory's Kevin Muscat, right, is tackled by Sydney FC's Ruben Zadkovich during their round 7 A-League match in Sydney on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2007. AAP Image/Paul Miller
It wouldn’t quite have the ramifications of Luis Figo’s move from Barcelona to Real Madrid. But if Kevin Muscat leaves Melbourne Victory to sign with a rival A-League club, one thing cannot be debated. It would be the juiciest internal transfer story to have hit the A-league in its short history.
Sure, there have been a handful of moves that stick in the minds of the various club supporters long after the particular players have said their goodbyes (insert all of Sydney FC’s signings pre-2008/09 here).
But none would have the gravity of Muscat’s move, should it occur.
Talking to the Townsville Bulletin on Tuesday, North Queensland coach Ian Ferguson stated he’d be keen to talk to the 51-cap Socceroo should his ongoing talks with Victory break down.
Just as intriguingly, Ferguson said that he’d expect to have as competition as many as four clubs for the prickly defender’s signature.
Such an admission would create uproar and allegations of “tapping up” if the scenario was to be repeated in the major European leagues.
But as Perth Glory coach Dave Mitchell naively found out earlier this year when quizzed on his desire to sign Birmingham City’s Kevin Phillips, the way they do things and the way we do are completely different.
The silence from Melbourne in response to the Fury’s pursuit has been deafening.
Of course, the Victory has never been a club that has offered much to the media. Melbourne rarely buys into speculation of any sort and – outside a press conference – journalists would have more luck getting a quote out of Nelson’s Column than Ernie Merrick.
The party line has been that the club is continuing negotiations with its captain and is keen to keep the former Rangers man.
But it is a line that has not changed since Victory took out the title in February.
And with the A-League club’s pre-season in full swing and a league start date in August on the horizon, questions need to be asked about the delay.
Muscat is 35, but has had a largely unblemished injury run since his return to Australia for Version 1.
His form suffered somewhat in the middle of the 2008/09, but he recovered to lead the team well at the stage when it mattered.
Much-despised by rival fans, even they would appreciate the impact he has made at Melbourne.
Victory fans know the shadow Muscat casts at the club. Forget Archie Thompson; Muscat is Melbourne’s public face, the example for the players and a larger-than-life standard-bearer for the supporters.
You only need to consider the short-lived stint the outspoken Ljubo Milicevic had at Melbourne. The club was simply too small a place for two vocal leaders, and Muscat was the one left standing.
Visualising a Muscat-less Melbourne is something all A-League fans would struggle to do.
Seeing him in the colours of another club is even harder. But the longer the two parties fail to reach an agreement, the more likely it will become.
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