Big-spending Perth Glory are hoping the signature of Socceroos defender Chris Coyne could be the final piece in the jigsaw as they attempt to break their A-League finals duck in 2009-2010.
After signing big names like Socceroos pair Mile Sterjovski and Jacob Burns, former Blackburn captain Andy Todd and Serbian hitman Branko Jelic to go with incumbent stars like Eugene Dadi, Victor Sikora and Adriano Pellegrino, it seems all Perth are short of is one more quality defender.
Australia international defender Chris Coyne, currently with English League One club Colchester United, is clearly Glory’s ideal target.
Perth have publicly acknowledged they are chasing Coyne and have already made him an offer of a three-year contract.
Glory coach Dave Mitchell said this week, “(There’s) a bit of speculation going about but we’ve put a good offer in and we’re waiting to hear what the answer is. Hopefully it’s enough.
“There is a feeling that he wants to come back to Australia but again he’s got quite a few offers and he’s just weighing them up, so we’re just waiting to hear really.”
Indeed Coyne, who is still contracted with Colchester for another two seasons, has publicly admitted he has other options in Asia and the Middle East, creating a real battle for his signature.
So really, what are Perth’s chances of luring Coyne back to Australia?
In assessing that question, it’s worth initially acknowledging Coyne has made it known one of his main concerns is his place in the Socceroos squad for the World Cup next year in South Africa.
And having made his international debut at the age of 29-years-old, it is easy to understand he is taking his time with this decision as he wouldn’t want to throw away his Socceroos career with an ill-advised move.
Essentially, Coyne’s concern about his World Cup place has made this saga come about.
By that I mean, Australia boss Pim Verbeek has made it clear he prefers his players to be playing regularly at a high standard at club level.
And with that in mind, Coyne’s Colchester boss Paul Lambert admitted he couldn’t guarantee the Socceroo regular football after a frustrating season last term where he was in and out of the team, meaning the Australian’s thoughts have drifted towards a change in club.
Along with that, Chris’s brother Jamie, who currently plays for Perth Glory, said last week, “He’s got a few family decisions to make and that comes down to finances and things like the World Cup squad next year.”
So Chris’s main concerns with this decision seem to be his Socceroos spot and looking after his family financially.
Having signed his current contract with Colchester in January 2008 for a club record fee of £350k from Luton Town, it would seem Coyne’s salary with the League One club would be decent and financially this option would be okay.
Plus living in the familiar surroundings of Britain, where he has done so for his whole thirteen-year-long European career, would be comfortable for him and his family.
But Coyne’s worry with staying at Colchester is the inability of his manager to guarantee him regular football and thus jeopardizing his Socceroos aspirations.
Now in assessing Coyne’s other options in Asia and the Middle East, one would expect the money on offer to be pretty good.
Nothing has really been elaborated about this proposed interest, except the standard line that it is from ‘clubs in Asia and the Middle East’, so it is somewhat of an unknown although Mitchell did mention something about Dubai this week.
But you would think the money would be the luring factor, while considering the typical standard of these leagues, that his chances of a regular starting-place, in whichever club he signs for, would be pretty good which would be ideal for his World Cup hopes.
Also the leagues in the Middle East do play up until May whereas the A-League has that problematic three-month gap between the finals and the World Cup.
East Asian leagues such as Japan, China and Korea play on an annual basis from March until November with a month-long mid-season gap. The break between seasons from November and March could be a problem for Coyne.
Importantly though, whether or not he and his family would be comfortable moving to a nation such as Qatar, China, Korea or the United Arab Emirates is another question too.
Also, if Mitchell’s hint about Dubai is correct, then perhaps Coyne would be concerned about the standard of football played in the UAE considering the overwhelming failure of clubs from that nation during the 2009 AFC Champions League. Indeed, while Jade North’s held his Socceroos spot playing in Korea, the UAE could be another story altogether.
Now moving onto the option of Perth, the Glory have made it clear they are desperately keen for his services suggesting regular football is one hundred percent assured as he will be a certain starter for them.
But there remains that difficult three-month gap between the A-League season and the World Cup.
Despite the fact Glory look increasingly likely to have a longer than usual season by reaching the A-League finals with their new-look squad, that long gap still remains fairly lengthy and it could prove problematic.
Coyne himself spoke about this topic a few months ago, saying, “Preferably Pim would want everyone playing before the World Cup so he has got some selection headaches, and with players over there being out of season for three months before it starts, it is not ideal.
“But I don’t think this will deter anyone from coming home if it is the right decision to make for themselves and their career.”
Indeed, there have been plenty of A-League players move to Asia after the last domestic season so there is the possibility of Coyne signing a loan deal to fill that gap, but there’s no way to guarantee such a deal which is a problem.
Perth also have the problem of money as it seems they simply can not compete with what is being offered elsewhere, especially after spending so much of their salary cap already on other big-name recruits.
Mitchell admitted, “It’s been tight getting him in the salary cap but if he does come he’s taking a significant cut in his wages for the first year, but it would be great if we get him.”
It’s likely that Coyne’s three-year contract there would be staggered whereby his annual salary is much higher in his third season than it is in his first so Glory can squeeze him into the cap, but still it seems that the money on offer from Perth isn’t going to win him over.
Perhaps the lure of returning back to the city where he grew up to play alongside his brother at a club striving to return to it’s Glory days of yesteryear may count for something, but it seems clear Coyne’s priorities remain playing at the 2010 World Cup and looking after his family financially, so you wouldn’t think these factors would come into his decision despite the romance of it all.
Another factor in returning to Australia, is that there is easy exposure for Coyne to Verbeek who frequents many A-League matches. Whether or not that be a good or bad thing for Coyne remains to be seen.
Beyond all that, the Glory boss put it simply this week, “The situation is he’s got a lot of offers so he’s got a lot of things in his head he’s got to work out.”
Indeed there is a lot to evaluate and a lot at stake. For what it is worth, in my opinion his best option would be to stay with Colchester.
Under Lambert at Colchester last season, Coyne did play a fair bit of football and while it wasn’t consistent, he did get a chance. Looking ahead into a World Cup year, staying at Colchester, Coyne would have the chance to fight to prove he deserves a place in their first-team and if he’s good enough and determined enough he’ll do so.
But then there’s the romance of returning to Perth or the money in the Middle East. It’s a tough decision and you can’t blame him for taking his time with it.
Nevertheless, we are told he’ll make a decision this week, so we’ll soon find out.
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