Deadline Day is always a chaotic period, and some former A-Leagues players were in the midst of the transfer madness.
Ex-Wellington Phoenix full-back Liberato Cacace swapped Belgium’s top flight for Italy’s Serie A, the 21-year-old joining 12th-placed Empoli on loan.
Initially brought to Belgian Pro League side Sint-Truiden by former boss and Isuzu UTE A-League great Kevin Muscat in 2020, Empoli have an option to make the deal permanent at the end of the season.
New Zealand international Cacace, who is set to become the first male New Zealander to play in Serie A, made a name for himself in 58 games for the Phoenix in the A-League Men.
Since leaving the A-Leagues for Europe, Cacace has amassed 46 appearances for Sint-Truiden.
Another A-Leagues product was on the move on Monday (Tuesday AEDT), with Stuttgart sensation Alou Kuol securing a loan switch to 2.Bundesliga outfit SV Sandhausen.
Kuol – contracted to the Bundesliga club until June 2025 – has impressed since arriving from Central Coast Mariners, scoring seven goals in 19 matches for Stuttgart’s Under-21 side.
The 20-year-old forward will now get some valuable first-team experience in the second tier for German football until the end of the season.
“Since his move from Australia in the summer, Alou has given a very good account of himself both in training sessions and in our U21s’ matches,” said Stuttgart sporting director Sven Mislintat.
“The move to Bundesliga 2 is absolutely the right challenge for Alou now and makes a lot of sense for his continued development.”
As for Socceroo James Jeggo, he has added to the growing Australian contingent at KAS Eupen.
Australia great Tim Cahill is part of the club’s board, while former Adelaide United captain and Melbourne City head coach Michael Valkanis is assistant manager.
Now, ex-Melbourne Victory and Adelaide midfielder Jeggo will call Eupen home until at least June 2023 after arriving from Aris Thessaloniki.
“We are very pleased that we managed to sign James Jeggo shortly before the end of the transfer period,” said Eupen general manager Christoph Henkel.
“With his skills and experience, he will certainly bring additional stability to our team in the crucial phase of this season and support our young players in their further development. We look forward to working with James Jeggo and welcome him to our team.”
