With Daniel Arzani reportedly attracting interest from abroad, aleagues.com.au looks at the Melbourne Victory and Socceroo attacker’s form and why he is primed to learn from past experiences.
Life, like football, is all about learnings. For Daniel Arzani, it is no different.
Those learnings should hold him in good stead if the Australian star is to return overseas amid growing speculation over his future.
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Out of contract at Melbourne Victory, Arzani has been linked with a move to Scottish Premiership outfit Hearts, where he would potentially link up with fellow Australians and Isuzu UTE A-League graduates Cam Devlin and Calem Nieuwenhof.
It would also mean another crack in Europe following a difficult experience previously. He was signed by Manchester City in 2018 before being loaned out to Scottish powerhouse Celtic. That is where things turned pear-shaped after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) on debut.
From there, he bounced around on loan, searching for game time, confidence, and a return to form through stints in the Netherlands with FC Utrecht, Denmark via AGF Aarhus and Belgium at SK Lommel – another City Football Group (CFG) club – but the Australian was only seen in fits and starts.
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Before the end of the 2024-25 Isuzu UTE A-League season, Arzani – labelled the “most gifted Australian player I have seen” by Victory captain Roderick Miranda – was brutally honest on his time in Europe and what he would change if he headed back abroad.
“The stint that I had overseas, for me was super disappointing and felt like a massive, almost waste of time. I think what didn’t help me was that I was constantly doing these five, six-month loan deals while being signed to City – that just doesn’t work out,” Arzani told Total A-Leagues.
“It’s too difficult to go into teams and just start performing straight off after five months and get into a starting line-up. You’re in and out and you’re not really that important to the club.
“So I’m hoping that if I was to make that move over, it would be on a permanent transfer, and hopefully that way I’d be given more of a chance as well.”
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Those comments hold extra weight now for a player who is seemingly destined to make his way back over to the European continent.
It is just not Arzani’s learnings that provide a platform to flourish outside of Australia, but his body of work in the A-Leagues.
The 26-year-old attacker has played a key role in Victory’s back-to-back Grand Final appearances. While the four-time champions have fallen short in their pursuit of silverware, it has seen Arzani grow.
Arzani is a far more complete footballer.
His impact on games go beyond goals and assists. Always confident with the ball at his feet, this is a player who has improved on the defensive side of things.
Arzani has also soared to new heights since Socceroos boss Tony Popovic threw down the gauntlet late last year, challenging the fringe Socceroo to “raise his level” to earn a spot in the Australia squad.
Once the next big thing in Australian football, Arzani heeded that advice and he has not looked back following his fine form and consecutive national team call-ups.
His numbers are elite. He ended the season as the top-ranked player in the A-Leagues for dribbles completed, opposition box take-ons and opposition half take-ons. More impressively is the fact he was first for tackles and tackles won among forwards in 2024-25.
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Arzani, who was second for duels and duels won, was also first for total carries and total carry distance among forwards.
“I think he knew that at that moment, probably a little bit of a kick up the bum is what I needed,” Arzani said of Popovic’s comments previously.
“I think it was good intention, and for me, it helped me in the long run, to be honest.”
