Perth Glory boss Tony Popovic has remained coy of speculation surrounding a potential swap deal involving his striker Andy Keogh and Melbourne City’s Bruno Fornaroli.
Reports emerged on Monday that City boss Warren Joyce is considering swapping unwanted Fornaroli with Keogh.
It was a key topic of discussion during Popovic’s press conference on Tuesday ahead of Glory’s clash with Sydney FC on Wednesday night.
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But the Glory boss refused to give a straight answer on the possibility of a swap between the star attackers.
When asked whether Keogh would remain with Glory for the rest of the season, Popovic said: “There’s nothing to comment on because we’ve got nothing to discuss in terms of that.
“There’s nothing to rule in or out, because we’re talking about speculation.
“There will always be talk in January about good players.
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“We’re on top on the table. It’s no surprise our players are creating interest from other clubs, and that’s what’s happening.”
While Fornaroli hasn’t featured for City since Round 4, Keogh has scored seven goals to help Glory open up a three-point lead at the top of the Hyundai A-League ladder.
Perth has lost just once in the opening 11 games, but that was against Wednesday night’s opponents Sydney FC at HBF Park just last month.
The Sky Blues have the wood over Glory, winning the last nine meetings between the two clubs.
But that’s in the past for the Glory boss, who has no doubt his side can turn the tide against Steve Corica’s troops.
“This year I think we’ve created a lot of history so far and changed a lot of perceptions and results in terms of past history that the club has had against teams,” Popovic said.
“Tomorrow [Wednesday] we have another chance to create some more new history against Sydney FC and that’s what we’ll be looking to do.
“All the players are available, except for Chris Ikonomidis [away on international duty] and that’s a good headache for me to have as a coach.
“Everyone that has played has done a wonderful job and everyone that has not played is itching to get into the team. That’s exactly what we want that here at the club and I’m sure that whoever is selected will be up for the challenge.”
Defenders Matthew Spiranovic and Tomi Mrcela were both rested for the weekend’s trip to Brisbane and are back in Glory’s squad, while Spanish midfielder Juande should come back into the starting line-up.
