Socceroo Josh Risdon is believed to have held advanced talks with new club Western Melbourne

Markus Babbel is looking at a significant overhaul of the Western Sydney Wanderers in the off-season with 12 more players coming off contract

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Western Sydney’s rebuilding under Markus Babbel is unlikely to feature Josh Risdon, with the Socceroos fullback poised to sign a multi-year deal with A-League entrants Western Melbourne.

It’s believed Risdon has held advanced talks with the consortium behind the new club and all indications are he will complete the deal in the coming days.

Risdon’s profile has risen dramatically over the last year after he impressed at the World Cup under Bert van Marwijk, and there’d been speculation he would seek a move to Europe.

Josh Risdon has become a mainstay of the Socceroos. Picture: Getty

However the 26-year-old right-back has been heavily courted by the new A-League club, whose name is set to be decided by a fans’ poll.

The departure of Risdon will come as a blow for Western Sydney as Babbel contemplates a significant overhaul of the squad in the off-season with 12 more players coming off contract.

In a further blow to the club, there are growing fears that defender Patrick Ziegler will not play again this season, with the club likely to seek a second opinion on the troublesome knee injury which has significantly restricted his involvement this season.

Patrick Ziegler (L) may not play again this season as he battles a knee injury. Picture: Getty

It comes after the struggling club recorded only its third win of the season on Saturday, seeing off last-placed Central Coast 2-0 in a scrappy affair decided by goals from Tarek Elrich and Jaushua Sotirio either side of halftime.

“Something changed in the week,” Sotirio said.

“I don’t know, just got the confidence back. We definitely needed it as well.

“The coaching staff and everyone, we all harped on about how important it was, about keeping a clean sheet and scoring goals.

“We’ve been playing some good matches, we haven’t been getting the outcomes but definitely the win helps us get momentum for the remaining games.”

Western Sydney Wanderers coach Markus Babbel has a tough off-season ahead of him. Picture: AAP

The result lifts the Wanderers back into eighth place, though still 14 points adrift of the top six.

Sotirio was a standout on return to Babbel’s starting XI, making a well-timed run off Roly Bonevacia’s pass and rolling home to compound the Mariners’ pain.

The 23-year-old followed his 77th-minute effort — his third goal of the season — with a talking hand goal celebration aimed at his regular critics.

“I cop a lot of criticism ... it was just a bit of a banter thing to keep the haters talking and I’ll just do my job on the field,” he said.

“As a professional footballer you can’t let it get in the way. You’ve got to try and avoid it and do your talking on the field. I think I’m doing that so far this season.”

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