Decisive activity during the mid-season transfer window has the potential to transform the remainder of the A-League season. What’s more, the ambition shown across the board is already impacting positively on next season.
The recent January sales were full of elegant solutions. You didn’t require a PhD in list management to identify that Adelaide United and Melbourne City were crying out for strikers, nor that Sydney FC would benefit from a broader range of attacking options, but in a salary-capped competition resolving even the most glaring of problems isn’t always straightforward. That all three accomplished their goals decisively makes them all considerably more threatening for the run home.
Behind some of these transfers that make short-term common sense there’s even more at play to be enthusiastic about.
Sydney’s capture of Reza Ghoochannejhad for example is another dipped toe into the market for Asian players, a welcome development in the aftermath of an Asian Cup that highlighted the A-League’s reluctance to capitalise on talent within its confederation. The knock-on effect of signing the former Heerenveen and Charlton Athletic forward is a deeper squad for Sydney’s Asian Champions League campaign.
“The fact he qualifies as an Asian player under the AFC Champions League three-plus-one ruling is going to be a huge benefit to us and vital to our challenge for the trophy,” explained Sydney’s head coach Steve Corica last week.
The headline transfer of the month was the return to the A-League of Jamie Maclaren. While the Socceroo may be frustrated at another stint in his homeland after failing to secure his future in Europe, the move is a potential game-changer for City.
Following the Bruno Fornaroli debacle City’s need for a No 9 has seen them resort to plugging the hole with fullbacks. Now the side with the joint-best defensive record in the league has a proven A-League goalscorer and enough matches remaining to shake up the finals pecking order.
Moreover, for City the deal hints at a possible change in approach to squad building. Maclaren is 25 and has signed on until 2023, meaning he could finally be the player around whom the club can build long-term.
He doesn’t the fit the mould of a young prospect in need of some CFG polish before selling-on, nor is he on the kind of short-term deal that has exposed City to enormous player churn. It is simply coincidence that Maclaren was signed on the day the composition of the New Leagues Working Group was announced but it’s difficult to avoid the symbolism, and how taken together both could reflect a major shift in how the CFG conducts its business in an independent A-League.
Less eye-catching deals have also strengthened championship contenders Melbourne Victory and Wellington Phoenix. Although the addition of Cillian Sheridan to Mark Rudan’s squad was perhaps worthy of more attention at the time considering his CV and Rudan’s immediate success in the transfer market.
It hasn’t just been the title challengers that have strengthened impressively. Kwame Yeboah and Mitchell Duke are both excellent pick-ups for Western Sydney and offer beleaguered Wanderers fans cause for optimism when they return to home comforts next season.
2019-20 is also when Fornaroli is expected to next appear on an A-League pitch after he was reportedly handed an escape route out of Melbourne City by Perth Glory. The ladder leaders already boast an enviable squad, full of quality, experience and depth, but bringing the Uruguayan west shows that Glory’s leaders are not resting on their laurels. That axis of CEO Tony Pignata, GM of Football Jacob Burns, and coach Tony Popovic, have quickly elevated Glory to the upper echelon of A-League back offices.
Even sides with little left to play for this season have inadvertently fueled anticipation for the next campaign. By sneaking Matt Millar away from Central Coast the Jets have added plenty of spice to the already tasty F3 Derby; although after initially banishing Millar from training Mariners boss Mike Mulvey has since done his best to ease tensions.
Western Melbourne Group don’t even have a name yet, but they have boosted their appeal with the signing of Greek international Panagiotis Kone.
It remains to be seen how much of an impact these new recruits will have on the destination of silverware over the coming months. This time last year Terry Antonis strolled in to Melbourne Victory desperate for first-team minutes and ended the grand final a club legend, while Riley McGree went from an injury replacement for Jake Adelson to a Puskas Awards nominee.
What the new signings have already done is breathe new life into a premiership race that was losing its spark, and adds fuel to the fire that with six such strong and evenly-matched finalists this year’s playoffs could be among the most competitive and unpredictable yet.
