Asian/Australasian Football Discussion

Clubs queuing up for A-League's most in-demand talent

Date February 19, 2015 - 9:20PM

Sebastian Hassett

Some of the A-League's biggest names are set to come onto the market at the end of the year, with rival clubs salivating at the prospect at landing an off-contract star for nothing.

A change in football finances globally has trickled down to the A-League, where clubs are reluctant to hand out anything more than a two-year deal, with many opting for no more than a solitary season.

That has meant some of the league's most in-form players, notably a host of elite foreigners, are subject to interest from elsewhere.

Remarkably for a team in title contention, Sydney FC have 16 players out of contract heading into next season, although three of those are injury-replacement players.

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Adelaide United's mesmerising visa contingent – the bedrock of their success under coach Josep Gombau – have their futures up in the air while Melbourne Victory face a serious salary cap squeeze.

Mass changes will take place at the struggling Newcastle Jets and Central Coast – and the two could be in direct competition if the Jets maintain their interest in Mariners' all-time leading scorer Matt Simon. An offer could materialise soon.

But the rush to sign players is not what it used to be. In fact, it is often quite the opposite, according to player agent Tony Rallis.

"Clubs are much sharper these days with their recruiting, who they want to bring in and how long they want those players to stay for," he said. "The market is a bit different these days to what it was when the A-League began. Nobody used to think much about handing out a three-year deal but that hardly ever happens these days unless it's a top young prospect like [Newcastle winger] Andrew Hoole, who will join Sydney FC next season."

Sky Blues chief executive Tony Pignata certainly is not in any rush to sign up their catalogue of existing talent – nor is his coach, Graham Arnold.

"I'm always of the view that it's better to re-sign a player than to bring in the same player from elsewhere," Pignata said. "But equally, our position is that there's no need to get everyone signed up just yet. 'Arnie' has an idea about what his squad will be like going forward and our view is that if these players do well, they'll be in the box seat to get new contracts.

"But the market is wide open at the moment and you never know what opportunities might present themselves."

Of all the A-League clubs, the Sky Blues probably have the most high-profile decisions to make.

Storied names like Shane Smeltz, Nicky Carle and Sasa Ognenovski are all off-contract but it would seem that only Smeltz is a chance to stay. Both Carle and Ognenovski are toying with retirement after season-ending injuries.

Striker Marc Janko has been fielding overseas interest but will not be retained on his luxurious marquee wages – 1.4 million a season – if he does stay on.

Loan star Bernie Ibini will have to return to his parent club if a new deal cannot be agreed with Shanghai Dongya. Corey Gameiro has serious talent but the Sky Blues are worried his knee injury will see him miss all of the next pre-season.

Hagi Gligor and Peter Triantis could be offloaded while Matt Jurman, plus fan favourites Sebastian Ryall and Rhyan Grant, may have to accept pay cuts. Arnold is planning to recruit aggressively and Zac Anderson, frozen out at Central Coast, is a target.

The electrifying Ben Khalfallah is the priority for Melbourne Victory but the Tunisian's decision could act as a roadblock, according to Rallis.

"They've got Besart Berisha and Mark Milligan as their marquees, so he has to stay inside the cap if they want to keep him," he said. "If his next deal is worth $350,000, Kevin Muscat may look across his squad, see where he has cover and see if he can offload a high-earning player or two. But if Ben Khalfallah goes, those players might be spared."

One player who might be squeezed out is Daniel Georgievski, the western Sydney-raised Macedonian international. He impressed early but Muscat has preferred Jason Geria and Scott Galloway – both uncontracted – ever since.

Veteran Mathieu Delpierre has looked good but successive injuries have cast concerns about his value for money as his 34th birthday approaches.

Goalkeeper Nathan Coe will be offered a new deal but it may be on reduced terms, with Victory looking for a top-of-the-range custodian.

While Adelaide's off-contract list reads like a Latin buffet for opposition clubs, agent Ritchie Hinton is not sure the Reds will break up.

"I think a lot of those guys – Marcelo Carrusca, Isaias [who extended his contract on Thursday night] in particular – will be pretty keen to stay and probably Pablo Sanchez," he said. "What's more interesting is what might happen with Awer Mabil and Osama Malik and a few others. Young Australian players of that calibre are really hard to find and Adelaide could have trouble replacing them."

Mabil recently trialled with Ajax Amsterdam and is free to go in the months to come – likewise Malik, who is eyeing a move to Europe.

The re-signing of wing-back Tarek Elrich, combined with the arrival of Jimmy Jeggo, has limited chances for silky utility Cameron Watson.

Perth Glory are battling to keep Rostyn Griffiths, the unsung hero of their excellent campaign. The ex-Blackburn Rovers midfielder is said to have his heart set on an overseas move.

Dino Djulbic has a second-year option available but has not exercised it yet. Fellow defender Riley Woodcock has plenty of admirers elsewhere.

Western Sydney did most of their dealings in January but rumours abound that more Wanderers' players could be on their way out.

Tomi Juric will seek a move to Europe when his contract expires – the club missing a $2.5 million transfer fee from Shanghai Shenhua after the striker turned down a huge contract – and Italian midfielder Iacopo La Rocca may be headed home, too.

Off-contract Melbourne City pair Damian Duff and Rob Wielaert look to have played their last A-League matches after suffering significant injuries this past week.

Goalkeeper Tando Velaphi seems likely to be released with John van 't Schip preferring a gloveman to challenge the contracted Andrew Redmayne. Home town trio Patrick Kisnorbo, Massimo Murdocca and Mate Dugandzic are all without deals beyond May.

Hinton doubted many Australians abroad would be coming back next season.

"Most of the good ones are either already back or playing in lower leagues," he said. "There might be some decent ones – [Bradford City's] James Meredith, for example – but I don't see too many returning."

Having starved off Chinese bids for Nathan Burns, Wellington want Dutchman Roly Bonevacia to commit long term – and even have hopes of naturalising him, which would require a four-year deal.

www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/clubs-queuing-up-for-aleagues-most-indemand-talent-20150219-13jo4v.html

PROFILE: Bee Taechaubol claims he has made a €1 billion bid for the Rossoneri, but is he the man to take the club back to the top?
By Kris Voakes | International Football Correspondent

February 20 marks the 29th anniversary of Silvio Berlusconi’s purchase of AC Milan - an historic move which revolutionised the Rossoneri from a scandal-hit and financially broken outfit into the world's most successful club.

But while history will look upon Berlusconi fondly for his effect on football if not politics, Milan find themselves back in a rut almost three decades on from the former prime minister’s arrival.

There has been a slump in fortunes on the pitch to match the drop in financial power off it. No longer is San Siro full on matchdays, with an average attendance of just 35,000 likely to be registered by the end of the season. No longer among Europe’s best, they’re a long way from being invited back to the Champions League any time soon.

Milan are in dire need of another knight in shining armour; someone who could inject the same kind of life which Berlusconi brought with him 29 years ago.

Enter Bee Taechaubol.

Parent company Fininvest moved to deny press speculation on Monday that there had been talks regarding a possible sale of the club, but less than 24 hours later the Thai entrepreneur – known by some in his homeland as ‘Mr Bee’ – confirmed he had lodged a substantial bid for a controlling stake in the Rossoneri.

"The reports are all true. I have presented an offer to acquire a majority stake in AC Milan," Taechaubol told the Bangkok Post.

"My offer has an overall value of just under €1 billion. The deal could come into effect by October. I’m now awaiting a response from Berlusconi. I am ready to close the deal by the end of the month.

"My proposal is serious and solid. Talks with Berlusconi were very serene and quite pleasant."

While Milan are not interested in a sale right now, a change of hands should not be ruled out as a possibility in the medium to long term.

But who is Bee Taechaubol, and does he have what Milan need to return to football’s top table?

He might be best known to sports fans as the co-owner of the Global Legends Series which attracts ex-footballers to exhibition matches and events all across the Asian region, but Taechaubol has built up a far-reaching business portfolio in recent years.

While he was born in Thailand his family moved to Australia when he was just a year old, giving him both western and eastern sensibilities in various markets which he has put to good use during his adult life.

His family runs the ‘Country Group Thailand’ business holding which specialises in real estate and a market leader in both Thailand and Australia since Berlusconi's early days at Milan. Bee’s first major investment saw him move into online real estate marketing with a company he would later list for a big profit on the Australian stock exchange.

He has also been keen to develop Thailand’s economy by having an open mind to venture capitalism initiatives around the country, resulting in a number of mutually profitable alliances being set up.

Dalliances with digital advertising, cable TV, movie distribution, mobile communications and then stock brokerage saw Bee go on to become a true business leader.

"We almost became number one in terms of market share," Bee says of his stock brokerage firm which rose to enormous heights within just two years of his arrival. "We got to the point where we had 10 per cent of the stockbrokers in Thailand."

Following the big profits made on the trading floor, Taechaubol then moved into construction and engineering. He dragged a company from the verge of bankruptcy and built another success story. His K-Tech group was one of the biggest winners when the construction industry enjoyed a boom within years of Bee’s injection.

All the while, he has built a reputation for being a big football fan, and his equity group Thai Prime got involved in bringing the Global Legends Series to his native country. Despite appearing alongside the likes of Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Nesta, Clarence Seedorf and Davor Suker in helping to promote the concept, Taechaubol has kept a relatively low profile in its wider marketing drive.

However, his move for Milan has thrown him right into the spotlight.

"I have presented a clear development project with a detailed plan for each major city in Asia. I am convinced the brand of AC Milan has a tremendous value in a market where we want to strengthen our position," he told La Repubblica.

Some then doubted whether he really has the pulling power, with La Gazzetta dello Sport claiming he had previously told Cannavaro that he doesn’t have that kind of money when quizzed on his investment plans.

However, he has previously claimed that "while I don’t have billions of baht in cash lying around, I know where to get it," and he has a wonderful recent record of buying low and selling high.

After conquering the business world, Taechaubol is looking to turn another failing company into a market leader.

The majority of Asia appears convinced that ‘Mr Bee’ is the real deal. His next job is to convince Fininvest and Milan.

Melbourne City has a new headquarters after the City Football Group unveiled its Australian training and administration facility – City Football Academy (CFA) Melbourne – at La Trobe University.

The facility will become the City Football Group’s centre for football operations in the Asia Pacific region.

CFA Melbourne features advanced new training pitches for the Melbourne City first team, two elite youth team pitches, dedicated community pitches, world-class medical and sports science facilities and expansive new office space.

Melbourne City fitness centre

The club’s first team commenced training at the first class venue in advance of Friday night’s home match against Adelaide United.

Employees of Melbourne City moved in last week.

Melbourne City office

"The establishment of the CFA Melbourne is great news for Melbourne City FC," Scott Munn, Melbourne City CEO, said.

"It allows us to bring all of our football, commercial and administrative staff together under one roof for the first time in a space designed and built to meet the needs of a professional football club."

To celebrate the formal commencement of operations at CFA Melbourne, members of the Australian football family, media, local government and City Football partners have been invited for an official tour of the facility on Friday.

"These facilities have been built to exactly the same standard as those in Manchester because we fundamentally believe in the provision of a world-class environment for the training and development of young players and coaches," Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chairman of Melbourne City FC and the City Football Group, said.

"It’s something that we also believe can be a competitive advantage for all of our clubs.

"The CFA Melbourne has been designed to help evolve, transform and sustain the sporting, commercial and community capabilities of Melbourne City Football Club while also serving as a strong centre of operations for the City Football Group in the Asia Pacific Region."

Melbourne City's first team will now train on the only “DESSO GrassMaster” pitch in Australia – which the club believes is the most advanced football playing surface anywhere in the country.

Manchester City training ground

The club’s youth teams will now have access to the improved training pitches and facilities the first team has vacated.

The facility shares elements of its design and functionality with the landmark City Football Academy in Manchester that opened in December 2014 and houses the headquarters of Manchester City.

"The CFA Melbourne is connected directly to our main facility at the CFA in Manchester, operationally, philosophically and aesthetically," Ferran Soriano, CEO of the City Football Group, said.

"It will enable Melbourne City FC to fulfill its significant potential both on and off the pitch while deepening its ties to other clubs in the City family."

For the first time, the club’s players will benefit from purpose-built medical facilities for treatment and rehabilitation, including a state-of-the-art hydrotherapy suite, and a custom-designed fitness centre tailored to their needs in preparation, recovery and rehabilitation.

Melbourne City hydrotherapy baths

The facility also includes dedicated community pitches for Melbourne City to run additional school-holiday programs and offers local football clubs and visiting community groups the opportunity to tour the facility and watch the A-League team train.

"The CFA Melbourne will give Melbourne City FC year-round access to an elite facility that matches the club’s ambitions and can support its long-term goals," Simon Pearce, vice chairman of Melbourne City FC and board director of the City Football Group, said.

theworldgame.sbs.com.au/article/2015/02/26/melbourne-city-moves-its-first-class-new-home