New A-League club Western Melbourne set sights on star marquee to make immediate impact
Having delivered the A-League’s biggest marquee players in Alessandro Del Piero, Dwight Yorke, Kazu Miura and Shinji Ono, Western Melbourne backer Lou Sticca has vowed to bring in ‘something special’ to the newest A-League club.
A-League
Don't miss out on the headlines from A-League. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The A-League’s next club Western Melbourne has vowed to sign a marquee player for next season, declaring that they want to make a sudden impact.
Western Melbourne was awarded the next A-League license for 2019-20, with Macarthur South-west Sydney joining in 2020, when the competition expands to 12.
TEAM 11: DISAPPOINTED, BUT FIGHTING ON
ANNOUNCEMENT: FFA RULES ON NEW A-LEAGUE TEAMS
Melbourne’s third club has declared they will build their 15,000-20,000 boutique stadium in Tarneit by 2021, with Kardinia Park the interim base although they plan to play games around the state, including Ballarat, and possibly a temporary venue in Wyndham.
Having delivered the A-League’s biggest marquee players in Alessandro Del Piero, Dwight Yorke, Kazu Miura (all Sydney FC) and Shinji Ono (Western Sydney), agent and Western Melbourne backer Lou Sticca vowed to bring in “something special”.
Fernando Torres (Segan Tosu), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (LA Galaxy), Wesley Sneijder (Al-Gharafa), Mario Balotelli (Nice), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich) and Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea) are among the world stars out of contract in 2019.
Celtic captain Scott Brown has been linked with Western Melbourne while Socceroos winger Mathew Leckie, 27, is the highest profile Socceroo from the west, although he’s playing with Bundesliga club Hertha Berlin.
“We’ll sign a foreign marquee. Someone that will bring something special to the A-League,’’ Sticca said.
“The clock is ticking, it’s not much time to prepare but I’m very confident that Western Melbourne will have a competitive team on the park that will excite the fans. We’ll be ready to go.
“NPL players in Western Melbourne will be given a chance. I can see 5-6 (state league) players joining the squad. We’ll give them every opportunity to trial and win a contract.”
FFA chief executive David Gallop said the prospect of Western Melbourne becoming the first A-League club to own its own stadium was a decisive factor.
“This is going to set the A-League up for long-term sustainability in these locations but importantly, as well, the decisions have taken us to a point where we can ensure that the new clubs are in high-quality facilities from day one,” Gallop said.
“With West Melbourne, there’s an opportunity to do something quite unique and something that we’ve seen successful in football globally, which is to have a purpose-built football stadium.”
Western Melbourne chiefs are confident of being a success.
“We have a big and rapidly growing population spread over a considerable mass of land over the Westgate Bridge, heading into the Surf Coast, Bendigo, Ballarat,’’ Sticca said.
“There’s established football and new families coming into the area which provides us a very fertile recruitment area for fans and potential players moving forward.”
The club is working with Wyndham Council to build a privately funded stadium at 1160 Sayers Road, Tarneit.
DREAMING BIG MARQUEES
*Western Melbourne’s possible marquee targets
■ SCOTT BROWN
Age: 33
Club: Celtic
Contracted til: June 2019
The Celtic stalwart would make a sudden impact in the A-League with his leadership and aggression.
■ FERNANDO TORRES
Age: 34
Club: Segan Tosu
Contracted ‘til: December 2019
He was on the verge of signing with Sydney FC before stopping halfway in Japan.
■ MARIO BALOTELLI
Age: 28
Club: Nice, France
Contracted til: May 2019
The human headline has scored goals in France and would be a box office attraction.
■ ARJEN ROBBEN
Age: 34
Club: Bayern Munich, Germany
Contracted til: May 2019
The Dutch winger is weighing up his options, but a Bayern exit appears likely.
■ WESLEY SNEIJDER
Age: 34
Club: Al-Gharafa, Qatar
Contracted til: June 2019
The former Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Holland star is dominating in Qatar and could be a realistic option.
■ ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC
Age: 37
Club: LA Galaxy, USA
Contracted til: December 2019
Has extended his deal with LA Galaxy but could be available midway through next season.
■ CESC FABREGAS
Age: 31
Club: Chelsea, England
Contracted til: May 2019
The former Spain, Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder looks set to leave Stamford Bridge.
The Tackle: The A-League’s most talked about hamstrings
Hamstring issues to two high profile A-League’ stars threaten to overshadow a major fixture while there was a wake-up call for Adelaide United. Socceroos great Robbie Slater and Marco Monteverde dissect it in The Tackle.
Victory leap into third after quickfire second half goals
Melbourne Victory is suddenly back up into third on the A-League Men’s ladder after a 2-0 win over Perth Glory on Saturday night. Catch up with the latest news from the weekend’s action.