Adelaide United all but rules out recruits and departures during the January transfer window
A lack of funds has all but ruled Adelaide United out of January transfer window recruiting. But Reds director of football Bruce Djite is confident of retaining the club’s top talents, as it braces for a tough start to the new year.
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Adelaide United has all but ruled out January recruits and departures, as it braces for a potentially season-defining run of fixtures early in the new year.
The injury-hit Reds have endured a difficult December, recording just one win in their past four A-League outings after four-straight victories the previous month.
But director of football Bruce Djite said the club will not seek panic reinforcements when the January transfer window opens, partly due to a lack of finances to add to its wage bill.
“I don’t see much movement in January, in or out,” Djite told The Advertiser.
“We’re satisfied with our squad ... and resource-wise, there’s no funds to actually bring anyone else in.
“We’ve got good players who are good enough and we’ve seen that throughout the season.
“The depth (of the squad) is not bad.
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“You always want more depth and it would be great to have 23 of the best players, but the reality is a salary-capped league makes that impossible.
“We’re not talking to other clubs and targeting players.
“I’m anticipating a relatively quiet January, not withstanding the fact that the unpredictable can happen.”
Djite described January signings as a “gamble” given the top talents are generally under contract and already playing regularly for their clubs.
He said Adelaide released Carlo Armiento earlier this month to allow the young winger to seek the first-team opportunities elsewhere he was unlikely to receive at the Reds.
But Djite said United had not fielded inquiries about midfielder James Troisi.
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“I don’t expect anyone to depart,” said Djite, who has had one-on-one meetings with each Adelaide player over the past month.
“Every conversation is different, but to sum it up there was no-one really wanting a move.
“If anyone moves in January, and it could happen, it would be a bit of a surprise.
“If something does happen and we need to move quickly to do something, then we’re capable of doing that.
“But for us to make any movement in, someone is going to have to go out.”
His absence would add to a lengthy injury list which included rising star Riley McGree, Norwegian striker Kristian Opseth and German midfielder Mirko Boland.
He called for a response during Saturday’s trip to reigning champion Sydney FC and similarly tough tests against Perth Glory (January 11) and Melbourne Victory (January 17).
“We’ve been relatively poor for the last month, which is a concern,” Djite said.
“But I put that more down to players not playing to their capacity rather than saying we don’t have players of adequate capacity.
“They’ve shown it earlier in the season – now it’s about mindset, consistency and executing better.
“We’re going into a tough run of games, so they’re going to have to pick it up.
“But as we pivot to younger homegrown talented players there’s going to be inconsistencies.
“That’s just part and parcel of some of these younger players developing.”