Western Sydney Wanderers coach Tony Popovic says he’s in no hurry to secure the services of in-demand Dutchman Youssouf Hersi.
Western Sydney Wanderers coach Tony Popovic says he’s in no hurry to secure the services of in-demand Dutchman Youssouf Hersi.
The livewire winger is contracted to the club until May but has been linked with a possible move to Newcastle Jets in the January transfer window.
It is understood the 31-year-old has become frustrated with protracted negotiations with his current club, while Jets coach Gary Van Egmond has made no secret of his admiration for Hersi’s abilities.
But Popovic was in no mood to discuss the club’s negotiations with Hersi on Friday ahead of Saturday’s mouth-watering clash against the Jets at Hunter Stadium.
“No. I think speculation is your job – to talk about speculation and the what ifs – but ours is about the facts and what goes on at our football club and anything that does go on at this football club will remain internal,” Popovic said when asked if re-signing Hersi is a matter of urgency.
“When a decision is made you guys will be the first to know.”
Asked if Van Egmond’s interest in Hersi is cause for concern, Popovic replied: “No is doesn’t concern me that he likes one of our players.
“He’s a good player so I’m not surprised to hear the coach say that he likes Hersi, he’s a good player.”
Former Socceroo David Carney has been linked with a move to the Wanderers but Popovic insists there are no plans to offload any players or acquire any new ones in January.
“Our roster is full,” he said.
“It’s 23 players and we’ve got 23 taken. If the roster wasn’t full then we could talk about various players coming to the club but the roster is full and we’re happy with our roster.”
The second-placed Wanderers have happy memories of Hunter Stadium having clinched the Premiers’ Plate with a 3-0 victory at the same venue in March.
Popovic concedes some of his players will allow themselves to think back to their most recent visit but warned his charges to brace for a much tougher assignment against the third-placed Jets on Saturday.
“Every player’s a little different, some players may get there and feel it was a great memory the last time we were here but some may just leave it behind,” he said.
“But we won’t talk about that, this is a different game and a different season. Although the opposition is the same the circumstances are different.
“There are three points on the line and we want those three points.”
“They come off the back of a good win away from home and they’ll be full of confidence but we’ll be full of confidence as well. We’re looking forward to the game.”
