Adelaide United are yet to bring in any new faces over the course of the Isuzu UTE A-League off-season, but the Reds have been active in retaining a host of players.
Luka Jovanovic is one of six players to re-sign at Coopers Stadium, where the talented 18-year-old penned a new three-year contract on Wednesday.
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Jovanovic enjoyed a memorable debut season with Adelaide in A-League Men, scoring three goals in nine appearances as the Reds reached the Semi Final last season and star captain Craig Goodwin was crowned the Johnny Warren Medallist.
“We’re very happy to have Luka commit to the club for the next three seasons,” said head coach Carl Veart.
“Luka is a very hard worker and in his first season with the senior team has developed well.
“But we expect Luka to continue with this progress over the next three years and to keep making a positive mark at senior level.”
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Jovanovic’s renewal is on the back of five others extending their contracts – Spanish veteran and former Espanyol captain Javi Lopez (until the end of 2023-24 season), Josh Cavallo (until the end of the 2024-25 season), Ethan Alagich (until the end of the 2024-25 season), Ethan Cox (until the end of the 2024-25 season) and Luke Duzel (until the end of 2025-26).
Lopez was a key part of Adelaide’s run to the Semi Finals, which was ended by eventual champions Central Coast Mariners.
The 37-year-old has made 74 appearances for the Reds since arriving from Espanyol in 2020-21, scoring three goals.
During the Finals Series, Lopez sat down with KEEPUP and spoke of his love for the club.
Lopez, whose family loves the country – so much so his daughters want to “live in Australia for the rest of their lives”, has a new lease on life under Veart.
“I am lucky and grateful to have him in the last moments of my career,” he told KEEPUP in May.
Upon Lopez’s re-signing, Veart said: “We couldn’t be happier to have Javi sign this one-year extension with us.
“Since making his debut for the club, Javi’s immense quality has been obvious and his consistent performances have been instrumental in our team’s progress.
“The experience Javi provides us both on the field and in the changeroom is invaluable and I’m very confident he will continue to be an important player for us throughout this new campaign.”
