Unsurprisingly, two attacking imports top our best transfers list – but who is No.1?
As the Hyundai A-League season races ever closer, this week we-re looking at some of the key signings who could have a big impact for their clubs and on the closest title race yet. Unsurprisingly, two attacking imports top our best transfers list – but who is No.1?
2. Marcos Flores
The Johnny Warren Medallist was all set to be No.1 in this list, until a certain Italian superstar hijacked it. But Marcos Flores could yet have a bigger outcome on the title than Alessandro Del Piero.
Flores caused a stirring of interest amongst Hyundai A-League clubs when he announced he wanted to return to Australia from China, and then he kicked the hornet-s nest when he declined Adelaide United, preferring to join arch-rivals Melbourne Victory.
Flores nearly took Adelaide to their biggest success the first time he was here and the hope was that he would once again help the resurgent Reds as they once again searched for A-League relevance, but it was not to be.
Speed and trickery on the ball, the Argentine is high class, and has showed he can dominate this competition. There is a reason why other clubs were chasing him; he also has the ability to be a midfield general to rival Thomas Broich and lead the Victory to… ahem, victory.
Many are already tipping Victory for the title, mainly due to their capture of Ange Postecoglou – the one big signing not included on this list.
If Postecoglou can replicate the style and philosophy that was so successful for Brisbane Roar, Victory should certainly be considered among the favourites. And much of that will be built around the considerable ability of the 26-year-old Argentine.
1. Alessandro Del Piero
The biggest star ever to grace Australian football, Del Piero-s arrival will impact not just Sydney FC, but the A-League and the code as a whole.
Sydney are already talking of average crowds of 20,000 – almost double what they managed last season – and it doesn-t seem too far out of the realms of possibility.
The club-s membership switchboard went into meltdown the day after Del Piero-s signing was announced; everyone wants to see what the Italian will do.
The question is how will Sky Blues coach Ian Crook fit him into his team? This is Crook-s first season in charge of the senior team and might have perhaps been given some leeway to imprint his character on the team, but Del Piero has ensured all eyes will be on the Englishman-s ability to get the best out of his aging superstar. Not that it will take much…
Del Piero-s arrival is a gift to all football fans in Australia and we want to see him show non-believers what it-s all about. For a little while, in a tiny corner of our souls, all of us are Sydney FC fans.
