Josh Risdon hails arrival of Chris Ikonomidis as a ‘great signing’
WANDERERS defender Josh Risdon is excited to link up with Chris Ikonomidis, saying the arrival of the Socceroos striker is a “great signing” for the Western Sydney club.
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WANDERERS defender Josh Risdon is excited to link up with Chris Ikonomidis after the Socceroos striker joined the Western Sydney club on loan for the remainder of the season.
Ikonomidis, who is signed to Italian Serie A club Lazio, has been included in the Wanderers’ squad for Sunday’s match against the Central Coast Mariners.
Risdon has played with Ikonomidis for the Socceroos and says the 22-year-old’s arrival is a boost for the Wanderers.
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“It’s a great signing. I’ve been involved in a couple of Socceroos camps with Chris and he’s a great lad, a really good player and it’s good when we can get national team players back in the A-League,” Risdon said.
“It will be a massive boost for us, obviously having lost a few players this transfer window. Chris is an aggressive, attacking player, he’s very quick, so I’m looking forward to linking up with him.”
The January transfer window can be an unsettling time for players and that’s been the case for the Wanderers, with the club confirming an issue with midfielder Kearyn Baccus is being dealt with.
It’s understood the midfielder, who is contracted to the Wanderers until the end of the season, was denied an opportunity to depart the club.
Baccus has been included in Josep Gombau’s squad for Sunday’s match after being left out against Perth Glory, but he’s not certain to feature against the Mariners.
Risdon said now that the transfer window his shut the players can settle down and focus on the squad they’ve got until the end of the season.
“A lot of talk happens around this time of year,” Risdon said.
“Once the window is closed we know there’s not much movement, so you settle down with the players you’ve got and move on from the players who have gone. We’ve got our squad and we’re ready to focus on pushing for the finals.”
After consecutive defeats the Wanderers have dropped out of the top six and Risdon said adapting to Gombau’s change of style is no longer an excuse.
“It’s obviously not nice to lose and it seems that’s been our case all season — we get a couple of wins and then a couple of losses,” Risdon said.
“It’s a bit draining, but we just need to put more consistent performances together. We’ve got 10 games until the end of the season and if we can do that from now on in, it will give us a chances to make the finals.
“We just need to be consistent and focus.”