Transfer Talk, Rumours and Speculation

[Embee]

6 minutes ago, bt50 said:

Tbh reading that back I think we're more likely to get a VISA CB than a LB and gamble on Clisby or Garrucio to do the job. I suspect thats probably the reason we went after Elrich fairly hard.

I still don't think the Garuccio/Elrich swap is completely off the cards to be honest.

[Kinnibari]

1 hour ago, GreenSeater said:

So what I'm gathering through all of this is that we're getting Tim Cahill and a big name marquee and making Bruno marquee as well. Holy shit

That would be amazing. I wasn't keen on Cahill as a second marquee but as a third I'm pumped.

Also even if Cahill doesn't come off, good news re Bruno.

[cadete]

2 hours ago, GreenSeater said:

So what I'm gathering through all of this is that we're getting Tim Cahill and a big name marquee and making Bruno marquee as well. Holy shit

1 hour ago, Kinnibari said:

That would be amazing. I wasn't keen on Cahill as a second marquee but as a third I'm pumped.

Also even if Cahill doesn't come off, good news re Bruno.

And yet none of it matters...

1. We did the best recruiting last Offseason,
2. We had a better squad/first team than the League's Grand Finalists,
3. We had the League's best Striker by a mile... The League's best Playmaker by a mile and the League's best Keeper.

I CBF even getting excited about who we sign because its become very obvious in the past few years that a side's Manager matters as much as its Players in this league and ours is incapable of winning Silverware no matter what players he has under his charge,

 

[Tesla]

ffs gonna have to cancel my membership and lose my low digit membership number since i'm a man of my word.

[Jovan]

16 minutes ago, Tesla said:

ffs gonna have to cancel my membership and lose my low digit membership number since i'm a man of my word.

Sad to see you go.

[Deviant]

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/melbourne-city-sign-former-brisbane-roar-midfielder-luke-brattan-retain-anthony-caceres-20160610-gpg2e7.html

 

well that was fun

Edited June 10, 2016 by Deviant

[johnno cpfc]

Just now, mus-28 said:

You would have to be joking, too slow too slow too slow and useless but on second thoughts send him to Brisbanethen JA can play long ball all season.

 

Edited June 10, 2016 by johnno cpfc
After thoughts.

[hakz7]

9 minutes ago, Deviant said:

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/melbourne-city-sign-former-brisbane-roar-midfielder-luke-brattan-retain-anthony-caceres-20160610-gpg2e7.html

 

well that was fun

Lol..

Both moves are allowed because both players had signed for Manchester City prior to Football Federation Australia's closure of what has been dubbed the 'Caceres' loophole.

[AntiScum]

Daniel Agger would of been the perfect CB so sad to see a 31yo leave the game

[hakz7]

#yoof

[Deeming]

Just now, hakz7 said:

#yoof

Friday, 10 June 2016 -

@MelbourneCity .

 

Melbourne City FC can announce Nick Fitzgerald has signed a permanent deal with the Club’s Hyundai A-League team, while the Club can also announce the acquisition of 17-year-old forward Daniel Arzani.

Fitzgerald, 24, who signed in the January transfer window on a short-term deal until the end of the 2015/16 season, has agreed a new deal which will see him contracted to the Club until the conclusion of the 2017/18 season.

Fitzgerald played an important role in the second half of City’s 2015/16 campaign, featuring in 13 matches since joining City in early 2016, contributing three goals.

“It’s been wonderful, I’ve just loved every minute of it; being in such a professional environment with outstanding players and to be able to play in such high-pressure games,” Fitzgerald said.

“It’s a real privilege to play for this Club and for the fans that turn up every week and I hope they have enjoyed what I have brought to the Club.”

Arzani, a young, emerging attacking midfielder, arrives at the City Football Academy from the Football Federation Australia Centre of Excellence and has also signed a two-year deal.

A creative-minded midfielder, Arzani has represented Australia at the under-16 and under-17 level, having featured in the FFA National Youth Championships (2013), Asia AFC under-16 Championship (2014), under-17 World Cup (2015) and in the 2014/15 and 2015/16 Foxtel National Youth League.

Fitzgerald and Arzani join Manny Muscat, Dean Bouzanis and Bruce Kamau as City’s latest signings ahead of the 2016/17 season.

- See more at: http://www.melbournecityfc.com.au/article/melbourne-city-fc-re-sign-fitzgerald-sign-arzani/lxp43bhtwj811osco7u6920vv#sthash.CqAnBSeh.dpuf
Read more at http://www.melbournecityfc.com.au/article/melbourne-city-fc-re-sign-fitzgerald-sign-arzani/lxp43bhtwj811osco7u6920vv#2DSWym2hbmfIm4KG.99

[icantthinkofacoolname]

Anyone know much about this Arzani kid?

[Tesla]

41 minutes ago, Jovan said:

Sad to see you go.

Not going anywhere, just not renewing membership (if above rumours are true).

I never said I'd stop going to games or stop following the team

I didn't go to enough games last season to make a membership worthwhile anyway, just kept it to support the club more than anything and the same would have applied to this season.

Edited June 10, 2016 by Tesla

[Deviant]

Just now, Tesla said:

Not going anywhere, just not renewing membership.

I never said I'd stop going to games or stop following the team

I didn't go to enough games last season to make a membership worthwhile anyway, just kept it to support the club more than anything and the same would have applied to this season.

I don't think anyone will hold it against you if you re-sign.

[icantthinkofacoolname]

Just searched him up and found this

some of the clips look fairly decent 

[bt50]

1 minute ago, Deviant said:

I don't think anyone will hold it against you if you re-sign.

Tbh I think he needs to run it past @cadete first.

[Jovan]

3 minutes ago, Tesla said:

Not going anywhere, just not renewing membership (if above rumours are true).

I never said I'd stop going to games or stop following the team

I didn't go to enough games last season to make a membership worthwhile anyway, just kept it to support the club more than anything and the same would have applied to this season.

All cool just stirring the pot. 

[Deviant]

13 minutes ago, icantthinkofacoolname said:

Just searched him up and found this

some of the clips look fairly decent 

I'd love to play futsal with this guy. 

[jeffplz]

13 minutes ago, icantthinkofacoolname said:

Just searched him up and found this

some of the clips look fairly decent 

he's got a really good touch, good vision and is pacey. 

[Tesla]

17 minutes ago, icantthinkofacoolname said:

Just searched him up and found this

some of the clips look fairly decent 

Kuzi 2.0?

[cadete]

25 minutes ago, bt50 said:

Tbh I think he needs to run it past @cadete first.

It's not like he is saying he is not supporting the Club and then go to almost every single game... and take photos of himself at those games.

[n i k o]

1 hour ago, Tesla said:

ffs gonna have to cancel my membership and lose my low digit membership number since i'm a man of my word.

Tesla there's enough empty threats to begin with on here, I doubt anyone will make anything of it if you do sign up. Go get that membership pin. 

[mus-28]

3 hours ago, johnno cpfc said:

You would have to be joking, too slow too slow too slow and useless but on second thoughts send him to Brisbanethen JA can play long ball all season.

 

 

I only care for the image of the Beast crushing Leigh Broxham into a million pieces, if that's all he achieves for the season it'd be a success in my book. He'd be a far more valuable asset to the squad than Koren and Hughes were just by making it onto the park.

[johnno cpfc]

O.K. Maybe that would be worth seeing you must be like me i hate that grub and would love to see someone really clean him up as per Melling.

 

[playmaker]

46 minutes ago, mus-28 said:

 

I only care for the image of the Beast crushing Leigh Broxham into a million pieces, if that's all he achieves for the season it'd be a success in my book. 

And Barisha, Would definitely pay double to see that.

[mus-28]

Akinfenwa v Broxham, Berisha and Georgevski. Would sell more tickets than Socceroos v Greece and be more one sided than Brazil v Haiti

[Shahanga]

12 hours ago, wombegongal said:

Only one of these points refers to JVS and that's it will probably be a disaster.

1. Environmental factor

2. Overlapping players can cross the ball plus corners

3. Many distance athletes are early to mid 30's. Cahill is a much better athlete than Koren ever was

4. Fitting and gelling is bullshit the guy is good enough to play in behind Bruno. Bruno has needed the support all year tbh. Watch Bruno get mobbed and assaulted next season when isolated

5. No one can replace Mooy

A couple of things.

1. I don't think we've seen good overlapping fullback play for ages, basically since Worm left. The problem is our other wingers haven't been great at knowing how to play them in. Same coach so I'm not expecting much to change.

2. Older endurance athletes may do well, but this is different. To play football you are constantly working anaerobicly where as in endurance it's aerobic (as I know to my loss), as you age you lose anaerobic capacity, which is what you need to constantly press or play box to box for that matter.

I take your point though, they wouldn't be able to put 4 defenders around Bruno if Timmy was there too. 

[belaguttman]

In theory it could work but the team is set up to play quite narrowly with wingers who cut in to provide service to Bruno. Timmy would be most effective with wide wingers who can cross the ball accurately. At the moment we don't know of we have a quality number 10. We have JVS as coach

[tommac]

http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/premier-league/premier-league-players-released-or-retained-by-their-clubs/news-story/3bb2bf17f609620a276706ffa62ccb81

A few players in there worth a look, for the right money ( and dependent on other goings on with our current list of course):

- Sessegnon, Stephen Fletcher, N'Zogbia, Steven Taylor, Flamini, Gaston Ramirez, Distin, Leon Osman, Jose Enrique, Kolo Toure.

Plus Skapetis, the young Aussie striker released from Stoke who has done quite well in the youth leagues. And Demetriou, the young Aussie at Swansea too. 

Edited June 11, 2016 by tommac

[kingawesomeness]

Ramirez as the #10 behind Bruno/Tim to replace Mooy. Would be wishful thinking.

[hakz7]

1 hour ago, kingawesomeness said:

Ramirez as the #10 behind Bruno/Tim to replace Mooy. Would be wishful thinking.

Could have a Uruguayan connection with Bruno

[mus-28]

1 hour ago, kingawesomeness said:

Ramirez as the #10 behind Bruno/Tim to replace Mooy. Would be wishful thinking.

Huge shit-fight to get him signed up, apparently signed a pre-contract with Penarol in January and they're demanding big $$$$ to release him from the agreement or else he'd be a Middlesbrough player already.

[Murfy1]

Melbourne City now Tim Cahill's last A-League option as rival clubs turn away
 

Sebastian Hassett

June 10, 2016

 

After seemingly endless months of verbal volleys, finger-pointing and hand-wringing, all hope of Tim Cahill coming back to the A-League now hinges on a meeting of Melbourne City's executive next week.

While Football Federation Australia is confident City will formally table an offer to the 36-year-old, other sources have indicated City will only look to Cahill if they lose leading scorer Bruno Fornaroli.

In a remarkable turn of events, the A-League's second-youngest club now represents the last chance Cahill has of playing professionally in Australia before he retires.

The FFA has spent the past few weeks offering the Socceroos icon to every major market, only be rebuffed by each club they have approached.

Perth Glory's initial interest has ended, while Sydney FC's desire of recent years has not been rekindled. Neither Melbourne Victory nor Western Sydney even entertained discussions, while Central Coast and Newcastle are not in a financial position to make an approach.

Clubs have shied away from taking on the Socceroos' all-time leading scorer for a range of reasons, with many coaches concerned that having Cahill will bring unwanted scrutiny to their clubs.

Some clubs are also worried about the financial outlay on a player who turns 37 in December, despite the obvious commercial benefits his signature would bring. While money is no object at City, their priority is to keep Fornaroli, who is set to move into a marquee slot next season. The Uruguayan's presence would effectively rule Cahill out of a starting position.

The FFA was particularly eager to have Cahill join Sydney FC, believing his presence there would revitalise the club's marketability and provide a huge spike in interest across the league. But Sky Blues chairman Scott Barlow and coach Graham Arnold mutually agreed they would rather pursue other options for their Australian marquee slot, vacated by captain Alex Brosque, who will move under the salary cap when he re-signs a one-year contract extension.

After being accused by Cahill's camp of not doing enough to entice the striker back to Australia, the FFA has hatched a plan to allow Cahill to be signed as a season-long guest player, rather than on a standard 14-game guest contract.

It's thought the package the FFA is putting to the clubs for Cahill's salary is worth around $2.5 million. The governing body is prepared to subsidise a portion of that figure but are looking to tie in third-party deals.

Failure to bring Cahill home next season would be a hammer blow to the FFA, who are desperate to get their most marketable commodity into the league in the same year they begin negotiating a new television deal for the 2017-2021 period.

Even if Cahill leaves Hangzhou Greentown when his contract expires next month, the forward remains a viable option for Chinese Super League clubs as he can fill the Asian player slot, rather than take up one of the three foreigner roles.

He would, however, have to bide his time as every foreign slot is currently filled, although several positions are expected to open up during the next transfer window.

Meanwhile, Professional Footballers Australia has declared its unhappiness with the new A-League draw, saying the failure to recognise international breaks and larger Asian Champions League travel windows will create more problems next season.

"The current draw has failed to address this and again raises doubts not only about player wellbeing, but also has the potential to penalise clubs for being successful," said PFA chairman Craig Foster. "The PFA has tabled a number of solutions to remedy this and remains committed to enhancing the progress that has been made by working in partnership with FFA."

 

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/melbourne-city-now-tim-cahills-last-aleague-option-as-rival-clubs-turn-away-20160610-gpggx3.html

 

 

Tim Cahill signing vital for A-League’s future

 

Ray Gatt

June 11, 2016

 

Time and time again Tim Cahill has been regarded as the flag-bearer for Australian soccer.

As the most recognised face of the Socceroos, and someone who is known around the world for his feats as player, Cahill is used to ­carrying the burden for the sport in this country.

The events of the past week further illustrate how much is resting on his shoulders and why many in the game here, including Football Federation Australia, believe he is pivotal in lifting the profile of the national club competition, the A-League.

It started with The Australian exclusively revealing on Tuesday that Melbourne City have been in negotiations for the past three months to sign him for next ­season, followed by FFA chief executive David Gallop’s magnanimous peace pipe offering to Cahill the next day. The pair met twice this week following their verbal spat, played out in the media, in February.

It ended on Wednesday with the A-League clubs agreeing, not without reservations from some clubs, to FFA amending the guest player rule to help City to pull off the deal.

City, who would not have been able to contemplate signing Cahill had there not been changes to the rules, are now well placed to get their man.

Under the change, any club would be able to sign Cahill, or any marquee player, as a guest player for the entire season instead of the previous maximum of 10 games.

In effect, it is allowing the clubs to have three marquees on their books — if they can afford it and on the proviso the international status of the third player is con­sidered big enough to increase ­interest in the league via much boosted crowd and television ­figures.

And, that is why this goes to the heart of the matter in signing ­Cahill.

It is about getting a massive lift for the A-League but, more importantly, it is about dollars in the form of the next television broadcasting rights.

The current $160 million, four-year deal expires at the end of the 2016-17 season and FFA are ­angling for a massive increase for their product. It has been suggested they want to double the existing contract to $80m a season.

It is a big ask and there are doubts the head body will get it, but having Cahill in the A-League, as well as extra marquees, would given them a very good case to put on the table.

One of the drawbacks, though, is the risk of the A-League not being a level playing field.

It is fair to say only four clubs — Melbourne City, Melbourne Victory, Western Sydney and Sydney FC — could realistically afford to carry three marquees on their books.

Some clubs can’t afford one, let alone three marquees. However, in all of this, we can’t lose sight of the fact that it now all comes down to Tim Cahill.

Whether he signs remains a moot point. With his contract with Chinese club Hangzhou Greentown to expire soon, the Socceroos legend remains coy about what his next move will be.

There are suggestions he has several Chinese clubs chasing him, while there are reports offers are likely from clubs in US major league soccer and England.

While Cahill has continually said he isn’t closing the door on the A-League, he can’t be blamed for looking at his options, given he needs to find the best place to play that will allow him to maintain his high standards and ensure he ­fulfils his dream of playing at his fourth World Cup in Russia in 2018. So the ball is now in Cahill’s court.

Whatever decision he makes, it needs to be the right one — one that will be for the good of him, the Socceroos and Australian soccer in general.

 

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/football/tim-cahill-signing-vital-for-aleagues-future/news-story/fcae2746aaf551c4bf9951bf1df77238

[silva10]

Maybe the FFA need to get rid of the hapless, clueless people who presently are in charge of it. If there only idea to boost the league is bring back a 36 year old, then they have utterly failed!

I doubt very much if the TV companies would pay more for what is a short term signing. Would be much better if the FFA allowed 3 Marquees, 6 visa players and increase the cap by 25%. Also allow transfers between clubs.  I know many will disagree with that, but for me that will have a much bigger impact on the league than one 36 year old.

Edited June 11, 2016 by silva10

[playmaker]

While Football Federation Australia is confident City will formally table an offer to the 36-year-old, other sources have indicated City will only look to Cahill if they lose leading scorer Bruno Fornaroli.

No way..... Next.... CFG can't be so stupid.

 

[jw1739]

IMO Bruno far more important to us than Cahill.

[Dylan]

I think Seb hasset article should be taken with a grain of salt. Doesn't know what he is talking about. 

[Chris p]

I don't want to lose Fornaroli for Cahill 

Edited June 11, 2016 by Chris p

[Deeming]

57 minutes ago, Murfy1 said:

The FFA was particularly eager to have Cahill join Sydney FC, believing his presence there would revitalise the club's marketability and provide a huge spike in interest across the league. 

There's a suprise

[silva10]

45 minutes ago, Deeming said:

There's a suprise

In most other countries they would be calling it corruption