Wanderers join A-League clean out with 11 players cut from roster

Western Sydney Wanderers have joined the end-of-season clean out of players, cutting 11 from their roster.

Spanish striker Oriol Riera is one of 11 players cut from the Wanderers squad by coach Markus Babbel. Picture: AAP

The A-League exit lounge of players is becoming somewhat overcrowded after Western Sydney Wanderers became the latest club to announce a massive clean out.

As expected, coach Markus Babbel has wielded the axe in releasing 11 players, including four visa players, in the wake of yet another disappointing season for the high-profile club.

Spaniards Oriol Riera and Raul Llorente, German midfielder Alex Baumjohann and Dutchman Roly Bonevacia, who won two player-of-the-year awards this season, are among the players who have been left searching for new clubs for next season.

Locals Jaushua Sotirio, Abraham Majok, Rashid Mazhazi, John Roberts, Marc Tokich and Giancarlo Gallifuoco have also been let go, while Socceroo Josh Risdon has signed with new A-League club Western United.

Riera is the highest profile departure, having made 56 appearances for the Wanderers and scoring 29 goals in his two seasons with them. He won two club-based player-of-the-year awards in his first season with the Wanderers and was a popular figure among the fans.

Defender Patrick Ziegler, who joined the club at the start of the season but managed just six games because of a knee injury, remains the only visa player left in the squad.

However, Babbel is understood to haver already made moves to sign at least three visa players, including two German midfielders, for next season. He will be under pressure to produce after a very disappointing season in which the club managed just six wins in 27 games to finish eighth.

With the departures from the Wanderers, it means 30 A-League players have been released in the space of five days.

Newcastle Jets released six players, including foreigners Jair and Ronny Vargas, on Monday while Brisbane Roar followed up the next day with 13 players, including former Socceroo Brett Holman, Frenchman Eric Bautheac, Danish duo Tobias Mikkelsen and Thomas Kristensen and Spaniard Alex Lopez.

New Roar coach Robbie Fowler is expected to use his strong connections in Europe to sign quality visa players to improve the strength of his squad.

Of the clubs who didn’t make the finals, only Central Coast Mariners have yet to reveal who they will be letting go for next season, though it is already known that defender Jonathan Aspropotamitis and attacker Connor Pain have also signed with Western United.

Midfielder Aiden O’Neill, defender Sam Graham and attacker Stephen Mallon, who are all on loan from English outfits, are expected to return to their respective mother clubs.

Newly appointed full-time coach Alen Stajcic is currently in Europe looking for signing opportunities to bolster his squad.

There will certainly be many more players looking for new opportunities as clubs competing in the playoffs are eliminated.