John Aloisi said Western United are weighing up the possibility of bringing fan favourite Lachlan Wales back to the Isuzu UTE A-League.
Wales is a free agent and back in Australia after a brief stint abroad at K-League 2 outfit Gyeongnam FC in South Korea, where he scored one goal in seven appearances.
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As Western prepare for Friday night’s Unite Round showdown against Perth Glory at Allianz Stadium in Sydney, head coach Aloisi confirmed Wales is one of a number of players the Green and Black are looking at ahead of the January transfer window.
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“We’re assessing definitely our options because there’s a few positions that we might, if we’re able to, go into the market,” Aloisi told aleagues.com.au.
“His name has come up. Obviously we know Lachie well. He was here and did really well for us, was in the Championship-winning team.
“Sometimes when someone goes away, when they come back, they know what they have here.
“It’s something we will discuss as a club and see if we can make it work. Of course, I haven’t spoke to Lachie yet to see if he’d want to come as well.
“There’s a few things we’re looking in January to see what we’re able to do.”
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The Isuzu UTE A-League returns for Round 5 following the international break, which saw the Subway Socceroos draw with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain on the road to the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.
Matthews signed his first professional contract in January – representing an eight-year journey with the Sky Blues, before playing his maiden Socceroos match on Wednesday.
Socceroos head coach Tony Popovic has not been afraid to turn to the A-Leagues and throw uncapped players into the international arena – Matthews, Sydney FC star Anthony Caceres, Nishan Velupillay of Melbourne Victory and Macarthur Bulls midfielder Luke Brattan have all debuted under the ex-Isuzu UTE A-League boss.
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“It’s exciting for the club (Western United) and for the players because they can see it’s not far,” Socceroos legend Aloisi said of Matthews’ Australia bow and potential opportunities for his own players in Tarneit.
“Yes, there’s still a lot of hard work for the younger players to do. It still doesn’t guarantee you anything, even if you’re playing A-League, that you will be a Socceroo one day.
“But it shows that if you do perform and are playing well, Popa doesn’t mind bringing in someone that hasn’t got a lot of experience.
“For the young players who are playing quite a bit with us, they have a good opportunity to keep developing, keep improving and hopefully one day represent the Socceroos and go on to bigger and better things overseas.”
