Newcastle Jets head coach Phil Stubbins says the Jets will look to bolster their line-up in other areas of the pitch, following the departure of Craig Goodwin to Adelaide United.
Stubbins said that releasing Goodwin from the remainder of his Jets contract made sense for both parties.
“Craig has been a good servant of the Club and it’s always disappointing to lose players,” Stubbins said.
“He’s certainly a kid who has got potential, but I think sifting through it all and going through the maths and everything, we’ve got a lot of left-sided players.
“A Club has come in for Craig, which it frees up a spot for us and we need to strengthen in other areas.”
Stubbins said the Jets had already started the process of bringing in a recruit to replace Goodwin, most likely a central midfielder.
“We’re trying to strengthen the squad and I think if we are to stand on our own two feet today, we need to bring in a player that is a substantial acquisition for the Club,” Stubbins said.
“I think Townsville was a fantastic insight for us into the squad and our strengths and where we are a little bit short.
“The central midfield area is somewhere we really need to strengthen.
“If it is the player that we’ve got our eye on – there’s a couple of them, but there’s one that’s at the forefront – if it’s all agreed I think it’ll be a great coup for the Club.”
Meanwhile, Stubbins confirmed the Jets are close to signing former Adelaide United youth team captain Allan Welsh as an injury replacement for Josh Barresi.
Welsh trialled with the Jets at the Townsville Football Cup a fortnight ago.
“It’s not confirmed and over the line as we speak, but I would suggest that in the next 24 to 48 hours that will be something that is concrete for us,” Stubbins said.
“He’s still got obligations back in his home state, but as I said, in Townsville the kid acquitted himself really well against Sydney FC and he’s certainly got all the attributes that we feel are needed.
“He’s 20 years of age, six-foot-four, has two good feet and a strong presence on the pitch, so hopefully he’ll be a good acquisition for us.”
