Sydney FC keen to keep Graham Arnold as head coach despite links with Socceroos vacancy

SYDNEY FC will not give up Graham Arnold easily, if Football Federation Australia decides to approach the Sky Blues about him replacing Ange Postecoglou.

SYDNEY FC will not give up Graham Arnold easily, if Football Federation Australia decides to approach the Sky Blues about him replacing Ange Postecoglou.

Arnold is the bookmakers favourite to take Australia to the World Cup given his extensive success in the A-League and lengthy period working previously in the national team set-up.

But his team’s victory in the FFA Cup on Tuesday underlined the scale of his achievement with Sydney, now holding all of the three domestic trophies, and the Sky Blues are loathe to consider the prospect of losing him to coach Australia.

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In a tart statement on Wednesday Sydney underlined their expectations that he would remain at the club, having signed an improved and extended contract last season.

“Graham Arnold is Sydney FC’s Head Coach, he is under contract and we envisage further success for the club under Graham’s leadership going forward,” the statement said.

Sydney FC are determined to hold onto coach Graham Arnold despite speculation he may be approached to become the new Socceroos coach.

“We have had no contact from anyone regarding Graham and his role at Sydney FC.”

Arnold leads a small field of local candidates with Kevin Muscat and John Aloisi known to have aspirations to coach the national team at some point.

That applies to Tony Popovic too, though the former Wanderers coach will only become available if the incoming board at the Turkish club he joined last month, Karabukspor, decide to end his loss-heavy tenure.

Though the prospect of Arnold doing a jobshare to oversee both the rest of the season with Sydney and preparations for the World Cup has been raised in some quarters, that already onerous scenario is complicated further by the Sky Blues’ Asian Champions League campaign.

Though the group stages wrap up earlier than usual, in late April, the Round of 16 extends to mid-May – the point at which the Socceroos would be going into camp ahead of the World Cup.

Arnold has experience of such an operation, having been Guus Hiddink’s man on the ground in Australia while Hiddink piloted PSV Eindhoven through to the end of the 2005-06 season.

But the lack of international breaks in the A-League season would be likely to create club versus country conflicts of focus at key points.

Various foreign names have been mooted, of varying decrees of plausibility, including Luiz Felipe Scolari and Jurgen Klinsmann.

Originally published as Sydney FC keen to keep Graham Arnold as head coach despite links with Socceroos vacancy