With a little extra cash in the bank, A-League clubs have been on the hunt for the talent required to make a serious charge towards the 2022/23 championship.
The goal posts appear to have shifted a little, after the injection of funds off the back of the $140 million Silver Lake investment in the Australian game.
A talented crop of younger than usual foreign imports are already headed down under, with more expected to do the same in the coming weeks.
The new faces are even more in demand after a large number of talented domestically based players whose wares were exposed through the COVID period, have been lured abroad after impressing at A-League and Olyroo level.
Consistent with a generally positive feeling around football in Australia right now, the men currently settling in or due to arrive in the very short term, look to have attributes and qualities destined to add much to the league.
Nani is obviously the most significant of the signings thus far, with Melbourne Victory purchasing a player universally considered to be far too good when compared to A-League standards.
Nani (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
Yet that is exactly the perception that the new funds provided to clubs will hopefully demolish, with a collection of talented new men already keen to impress.
With three months remaining until the season begins in early October, the hope is that there will be another wave of signings that further ignite the competition.
Yet so far, so good for the A-League, with a few interesting men already having agreed to terms and keen to make their mark in Australia.
Charlie Austin looks to be a fire cracker waiting to go off in Brisbane, with his love of his new home city palpable on social media and his family set to arrive in the coming weeks to share in the exciting adventure he has undertaken.
At his best, Austin scores goals and has done so consistently through a career extending beyond 400 games, one including more than 200 successful strikes on target.
If the Roar fans aren’t excited about his arrival, I’m not sure exactly what they would require to be so.
Perth Glory fans need all the encouragement they can get after the disappointment of the season just past. That hope may come in the form of Israeli 28-year-old Ben Azubel, their new attacking weapon who scored at a goal every other game for Hapoel Ra’anana in the season just past.
However, the breaking news of the arrival of 27-year-old Irishman Aaron McEneff could well be the best business decision the club has made in some time.
Like Azubel, McEneff offers an attacking prowess that the Glory have lacked in recent times. Whilst his time at Hearts in Scotland may not have proven as profitable as the club would have hoped, his talent is unquestioned and in the right environment, destined to prosper.
The A-League might be exactly what McEneff needs to rebuild and ignite his career, with his highlights package suggesting that the A-League will be a level at which he will excel.
Perth will also enjoy the presence of Mark Beevers, the Englishman who has spent time at Sheffield Wednesday, Millwall, Bolton and Peterborough and now arrives at the club as a fully seasoned pro and ready to instil some of the hardened professionalism that he brings in his kit bag to a club in desperate need of it.
Along with the return of Matthew Millar to Australian shores at Macarthur FC and the re-signing of Riku Danzaki in Brisbane, the upcoming season appears to be gathering together a collection of stars well worth the price of admission.
Sydney FC have announced their newest addition in the form of Spanish defender Diego Caballo, who at 28 comes to Australia with obvious quality despite recent lower league play in Europe and Tom Beadling returns to Australia after extended stays at Dunfermline and Barrow in the UK.
The 26-year-old Beadling has close connections with Australia having lived here prior to his departure abroad and the Wanderers will be hoping his presence tightens up a defence that undoubtedly requires tightening.
Things are brewing nicely for the latest A-League season, with a few extra dollars to spend on players producing quality signings and the world noticing the talent that is emanating from down under, thus, providing opportunity for our best young players.
Hopefully the pattern continues and the season begins as one littered with names demanding interest. After all, star players make a league and Australia finally has a few names worthy of that billing.
Pedro
Guest
Seriously we will lose fans if the violence between opposing teams is not addressed
Kewell
Roar Rookie
The money from Silver Lake should be used to attract juniors that have world class attributes. Offer large scholarships open to all athletes that locks in these potential stars before the AFL and NRL them. Two each for girls and boys. Repeat each year, there may be businesses out there happy to put in.
TK
Guest
As a past roar member and supporter I'll reserve any excitement about new players coming in and making a difference. Heard it all before. Proof will be on the pitch and on the scoreboard.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
I dont reckon it will happen, because Sydney's ownership have too much investment in their new academy
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Absolutely Chris, and if trajectories dont change, the day will come some time in the future where we could potentially hand the Poms a big can of whoop..........
Mick
Roar Rookie
I also believe it can happen and can happen by 2030 if things are done correctly. The state federations need more control over community clubs. With my local club not one of their miniroo or junior coaches have been put through a coaching coach. They just get told to look on youtube etc for drills. Coach the parents to be coaches and see the improvement in the youth system happen. Have promotion/relegation all the way down the system and the pathway for these youngsters becomes so much bigger and clearer.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Seems pretty dumb, Goodwin and Halloran are getting on, Brooks is usually the most lively player in Adelaide attack then followed by the young subs..
chris
Guest
Agreed FIL. The EPL has become a bloated monster that attracts more event goers rather than football fans. There needs to be a balance of locally produced players and overseas players. Teams need to have an identity and not just a bigger cheque book than the other teams.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Now you're talking Mick to me that's Australian football nirvana, and given time i believe it will come. After being involved in football for over forty years I will dance on the street when the plonker coaches and administrators are unable to leech off the system because the system exposes them for who they are
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Yeah maybe five but I guess you need knowledge of media metrics
Mick
Roar Rookie
The NSD is a must, then make it promotion/relegation all the way down. This will encourage community clubs to get decent committees who actually care for the club, community and the sport not just ones who use the club to further their own personal agendas. Have a proper, open transfer market so teams who develop youth get rewarded for it. This will get clubs to concentrate more on youth development. Get better, more qualified coaches knowing that the club will get some reward if a talented player moves up the divisions.
Jordan Sports Fan
Roar Rookie
I think it is a very likely that Paramount will acquire the rights to the NSD, so as to continue to their quest to be the home of Australian football. It gives them all year-round content which could help drive continued subscription. It will open up their subscription base to new markets outside of what the A-League services. It adds value the Aus Cup which they already have the rights for. It would add significant value to the AL were pro/rel to be introduced. Imagine that period of the year when ALM, ALW and NSD are on all. Imagine then if you had picture-in-picture functionality on Paramount +, a subscriber could sit down at 1pm on a Saturday afternoon and jam in an absolute feast of Aus football, it would be excellent. I think the interesting question to consider is, how much will Paramount pay? If AL is $40mill a year, perhaps an NSD is worth $5mill a year? More? Less?
Gnasher
Guest
In case you hadn’t noticed, FIFA is taking the World Cup to Qatar in a few months, where homosexuality still carries the death sentence and where stoning and flogging are still on the books. I doubt they’re going to pull the plug on the US because of one church load in Texas. While some House Republicans voted against federal funding of contraception (ostensibly due to the removal of previously-agreed religious exemptions for Catholic healthcare providers), contraception remains legal in all 50 states, been those run by (shudder) Republicans. Chill out and watch a game.
Nick Symonds
Guest
"Sydney FC needs to better MVFC signing of nani" - Same thought crossed my mind, too.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Scout one thing this forum has taught me is that not everyone has had the football education you or I to a lesser degree we've been fortunate to have. Decisions or choices made by the greater football public are often more emotional than analytical
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
I believe that Veart has evolved and he sees the young quality at his disposal and look at the Refs Academy. The results speak for themselves. Surely the best Academy over the last free years
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Jordan, good post mate and it begs the question, will the pending 2nd Division take the Australia Cup to another level and will it boost viewing numbers? Surely 2nd Division will be broadcast on Para 10
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Stu, this really strikes a chord with me. Whether the regular contributors here believe me or not, this is what I knew we needed, what I hoped we would achieve, and what I knew would propel Australian football forward. I believe I made a comment in the last week along these lines. This is the football league we need to continue to construct and maintain. Unlike the EPL, where there's more money than water, and thus English football is suffering, the A-League proving to be, and should always be, a football factory, producing a consistent flow of quality Australian footballers that are sought after overseas. The more we do this the more we'll have the quality to consistently qualify for the WC. The players you've listed above are an essential ingredient, without them they don't expose our youth to their experience and knowledge. In my opinion it is a bonus that they're playing in our league, the real benefit is the value that they bring to our young A-League players. The last thing we want is to be like the Poms where their National side is beginning to show the effect the EPL is having. Bring on this next season, the showing from Melbourne and Brisbane players against the EPL teams was positive to say the least. Chuck all the A-League teams in their current iterations and it's going to be a bloody good season. Keep the faith football supporters.
Waz
Roar Rookie
Literally, my comment was: “ Meanwhile 41,000 turned up at Suncorp for the other game … on a Sunday” No mention of Roar :laughing:
Stuart Thomas
Expert
Good player. Great signing. Another young one reflective of a changing of the guard.