He scored the goal that kept their season alive and now Kew Jaliens is set to sign a new deal which will see him finish his career at the Newcastle Jets.
He scored the goal that kept their season alive and now Kew Jaliens is set to sign a new deal which will see him finish his career at the Newcastle Jets.
The former Netherlands international is believed to be close to signing a new two-year deal with the club, which could be sealed within the week.
The 35-year-old has had a mixed debut season in the Hunter but showed all his worth with an assured defensive performance and the opening goal in Sunday’s shock 2-0 win over Western Sydney.
Interim Newcastle boss Clayton Zane is desperate for the Jets to keep a hold of Jaliens, who he says is having a great affect on the club.
‘I think it’s just come down to very small details,’ Zane said.
‘Obviously his family is quite settled, his kids are in school, and he’s one that we want to keep around just for his experience.
‘I know the other three centre backs we’ve used – Taylor [Regan], Josh Mitchell and Connor Chapman – love playing alongside of him.
‘It’s almost like, to keep him around from a development point of view for the other defenders would be a great coup for us to make sure he stays.
‘But also his performances have been very consistent as well.’Â Â
Jaliens, who played 10 matches for the Netherlands including the 2006 World Cup, began negotiations with the club in January and it’s understood an official announcement is about to happen.
‘It could be a matter of days,’ Zane said. ‘I’m not too sure what the Dutch are like on making their final commitment, but the feedback I’ve had from him is that he enjoys it here with his family and he wants to stay in Newcastle.’
The veteran defender was one of the Jets’ best in the crucial win over Western Sydney that has the club within two points of the top six with six matches remaining.
Another to impress against the Wanderers was Zenon Caravella, who has seemed to thrive under the new boss after being frozen out earlier in the season by Gary van Egmond.
‘Zenon went through that tough period at the start of the year with one or two inconsistent performances, lost his spot and probably felt so far away from the first team,’ Zane said of the experienced midfielder.
‘But that’s one of the beauties of coming in, in that honeymoon period when you’re the interim boss.
‘I’ve seen the moments when Zenon was very good last year and for me it was just about making things simple with Zenon and give him that belief back.
‘For me he’s been our most consistent player since I took charge.’
