Anticipation, hope, doubt and fear: these are the mixed emotions of a fan as each new signing is announced ahead of every new A-League campaign.
And it’s no different as the 2020/21 A-League season draws ever closer; on Sunday, December 27 the first fixture will get underway, and as each game goes by the players willing to stamp their mark on the competition will come to the fore.
Last season it was Alessandro Diamanti who burst onto the scene in truly magnificent style, winning the Johnny Warren Medal and dazzling his Western United teammates, coaches and fans, opposing players, fans and commentators alike in his first campaign on Australian shores.
But who from the list of new recruits around the league is set to shine this time around? Who will settle in the quickest? Who will go the distance? Can anyone rise to the incredibly high standards set by Diamanti in his first A-League campaign?
Read on for our list of five key signings with the potential to use their undoubted pedigree to achieve A-League stardom in 2020/21.
Beñat Etxebarria – Macarthur FC
Beñat Etxebarria brings a wealth of experience and class to a Macarthur FC side looking to make a splash in their first A-League campaign.
Beñat’s 251 Spanish La Liga appearances were highlighted by a successful spell at Real Betis between 2010-13, where his performances at club level earned him his four caps for the Spanish national side, and his following seven-year spell at Athletic Bilbao, where Beñat showed his calibre as a free-kick technician: eight of Beñat’s 11 goals for the club came from dead ball situations.
For those wondering how to pronounce the name of new @mfcbulls signing Beñat Etxebarria 🇪🇸
(‘Benyat – Et-chay-ba-reeya’)
But Beñat will do…and this is what he’s capable of!#ALeague #RunWithTheHerd @FOXFOOTBALL @FOXSportsNews pic.twitter.com/GVTtBB8FJ1
— James Dodd (@JamesDodd89) November 13, 2020
The 33-year-old will find comfort in the arrival of fellow Spaniard and Bilbao teammate Markel Susaeta, who joins the Bulls after a brief stint with Melbourne City last season.
The Basque natives spent nine years together at Bilbao, which could assist both players to adjust not only to life in a new country, but to the unique demands of A-League football.
Graced with technical ability and an imposing set-piece threat, Beñat holds the potential to become a damaging player in the A-League, should he settle in successfully to his new surrounds.
Rudy Gestede – Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory boss Grant Brebner is shaping a new-look Victory outfit to take into the 2020/21 campaign, and in the gaping hole left by Ola Toivonen in his front line Brebner has looked to the towering presence of Rudy Gestede to spearhead his attack.
193cm tall and renowned for his aerial presence, Gestede’s physicality in the box is sure to cause problems for any defence Victory come up against this season.
The 32-year-old Benin international has gathered close to 300 games of experience throughout his career, including spells in between England’s Premier League and Championship at Cardiff City, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough.
Whether or not Gestede can replace the steady stream of goals Toivonen produced as Victory’s main marksman remains to be seen, and after a disappointing tenth-place finish last season Victory fans will be looking for a talismanic figure to lead them into a new era – could that player prove to be Gestede?
Graham Dorrans – Western Sydney Wanderers
Western Sydney Wanderers striker Simon Cox says the Red and Black have got ‘one hell of a player’ on their hands in Graham Dorrans.
Dorrans, 33, has played nearly 400 games for club and country combined, highlighted by a seven-season stint at English side West Bromwich Albion, a further three campaigns with Norwich City before a stint in the Scottish Premiership with Rangers.
The hard-working midfielder is excited to link up with Cox once again; the pair played together for three seasons at West Brom and could prove to become a deadly duo between midfield and attack for Carl Robinson’s Wanderers this season.
Tomer Hemed – Wellington Phoenix
Wellington Phoenix have a new marquee man in Israel international and former Premier League and La Liga striker Tomer Hemed ready to lead the line in the 2020/21 A-League campaign.
Hemed joins the Phoenix from Charlton Athletic; his stint at The Addicks followed a brief spell at Queens Park Rangers, but it was in his three seasons at Brighton and Hove Albion where Hemed made his Premier League bow, scoring twice in the 2017/18 campaign.
The 33-year-old will join Talay’s strike force already featuring Englishman David Ball, who scored six goals in his debut A-League season in 2019/20.
Ball’s former strike partner, Gary Hooper, netted eight times and notched four assists before departing the club, leaving big shoes to fill for Hemed. But with 110 goals to his name in his 455-game career to date, Hemed has all the quality and experience necessary to become a potent goalscorer in the A-League.
Callum McManaman – Melbourne Victory
Up against Manchester City in the 2013 FA Cup Final, Wigan Athletic – who would get relegated from the Premier League three days later – shocked the world with a 1-0 victory which handed Wigan the first major trophy of their 81-year history.
Callum McManaman was unplayable for Wigan on that day, picking up Man of the Match for a devastating display of wing play which tied City full-back Gaël Clichy in knots.
If Victory fans hold pessimism heading into the 2020/21 campaign of their side’s ability to rise up the A-League table after their dismal 2019/20 campaign, McManaman is heading into town to tell those fans one thing: anything is possible.
McManaman’s experience in England includes a seven-season stretch at Wigan Athletic before stints at West Bromwich Albion, Sheffield Wednesday, Sunderland and Luton Town.
The 29-year-old has proven himself on the biggest stage in English football, and with Rudy Gestede ready and waiting to pounce on McManaman’s service from out wide the Englishman could become pivotal to Victory’s attacking output in the 2020/21 A-League campaign.