Brisbane Roar head coach Ruben Zadkovich said the Isuzu UTE A-League club have received “a lot of offers” for Thomas Waddingham amid mounting speculation over his future.
Prior to Sunday’s 1-0 loss away to Western United, reports out of the UK claimed EFL Championship duo Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday were in “advanced” talks to sign Waddingham from Brisbane heading into the January transfer window.
The 19-year-old sensation, who has been linked with German giants Bayern Munich and Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham previously, has scored four goals in nine games this season following his breakout 2023-24 campaign.
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Asked about the latest reports out of England, Zadkovich told reporters: “Tommy’s an interesting one.
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“Again this season he’s done really well leading the line, especially at his age. They (Western United) have Ibusuki leading the line and taking a lot of the pressure of a guy like Noah Botic.
“Unfortunately we don’t have that luxury at the moment so Tommy shoulders a lot for our team in the number nine role.
“I think he’s done a fantastic job again. He’s a real bright spark of Australian football.
“He has a massive, massive future and he’s a big prospect so it’s not crazy to hear there’s more talk because there’s been a lot of speculation for a long time now, and rightfully so.”
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Presser further on the transfer reports and whether he was aware of interest from Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday, Zadkovich replied: “It’s not my job to sit here and tell you the inner workings and business deals of our football club.
“What I can say there’s been a lot of talk and speculation around Tommy. We’ve had a lot of offers and it needs to the right move for the player first of all because his future is what I’m responsible for on a one-to-one level.
I take a lot of pride in that – mentoring him and helping him get to the level and then trying to educate on when is the right time to leave.
“Also for the club it has to be the right business deal.”
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