While the dust from the 2015/16 campaign has barely had time to settle, teams are already beginning to rebuild their squads for next season.
We take a look at 10 stars who could find themselves at a new club.
Hyundai A-League free agent XI
10. Jean Carlos Solorzano – The Costa Rican rarely got an opportunity at Brisbane Roar this season but has shown he can score goals in the A-League. His return at two stints in Brisbane saw him score 17 goals in 61 appearances, not a bad strike-rate. At 28, Solorzano’s best years are arguably still ahead of him so could be a good pick up for a club with spots open in the front third.
9. Cameron Watson – Watson is the type of player every good side needs. Not only is he versatile and vastly experienced when it comes to A-League games, but the 28-year-old is durable and a reliable option wherever he plays. Made 17 appearances for the Jets in 2015/16 and was ultra-consistent.
8. Alberto Aguilar – Top quality defenders are like gold dust in the A-League and the experienced Spaniard certainly fits that bill. The 31-year-old showed he hasn’t lost any of his speed and defensive nous during the last campaign with the Wanderers and his distribution out of the back is second to none.
7. Liam Reddy – The experienced gloveman is on the lookout for a seventh A-League club after being released by the Wanderers. An excellent shot-stopper, Reddy would be a good signing for a club looking for an old head at the back. And at 34 his best could yet be still ahead of him judging by how the other veteran keepers performed in 2015/16. Ante Covic (40), Thomas Sorensen (39) and Eugene Galekovic (34) were all superb for their respective clubs.
6. Ryan Kitto – Spotted out of the South Australian NPL, the 21-year-old made his mark as an A-League player with the Jets. In 18 appearances for the Hunter club, Kitto chipped in with a couple of goals and also had four assists. Not a bad return for a kid in his rookie season in a side that struggled for much of the season. A definite star of the future.
5. Steven Lustica – The underrated midfielder is another player with good A-League experience and perhaps just needs a fresh start to bring out his best. The 25-year-old is a real box-to-box midfielder and also very accomplished on the ball having learned from the likes of McKay, Broich and Corona at Brisbane Roar.
4. Archie Thompson – The man synonymous with Melbourne Victory has left the club after 11 wonderful seasons. While it will be strange to see Archie wearing different colours, he has indicated he’s not quite ready to hang up the boots. Thompson is still the A-League’s greatest-ever scorer and remains in good nick for a 37-year-old.
3. Andreu – Another of the discarded Wanderers, the holding midfielder still has plenty to offer. Has that ability all coaches love, able to control the speed of a game in the middle of the park with his composure on the ball and excellent passing. Andreu is also a great organiser of those around him and the perfect link-man between defence and attack.
2. Pablo Sanchez – Fresh from helping the Reds to the title, Sanchez is on the market and would be a great pick-up for an A-League side. Despite being used mainly as a super-sub by Gui Amor in Adelaide, the 33-year-old scored nine goals in 2015/16. Imagine how many he could get as a consistent starter!
1. Romeo Castelen – It seems a travesty Castelen could be lost to the A-League just when we were starting to see the best of the Dutchman. He has had issues with injuries in the past but when fit, he’s almost unstoppable. We got a stunning example of that in the Wanderers’ Semi Final win over Brisbane Roar, his hat-trick helping his side to an epic 5-4 triumph. Someone sign him up!
