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Transfer Talk, Rumours and Speculation


jw1739

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18 hours ago, Murfy1 said:

 

I'll do what I can haha. Been a bit busy lately settling in, but that's just about done. Anyway here's the latest:

 

Melbourne City pair Bruce Kamau and Nick Fitzgerald to weigh up their futures

DAVID DAVUTOVIC

December 19, 2017

 

 

THE futures of Bruce Kamau and Nick Fitzgerald remain in limbo, with the wingers headlining the Melbourne City stars coming out of contract at the end of this season.

Fitzgerald is understood to have attracted interest from rival A-League clubs and abroad after a breakout season where he has established himself as a bona fide member of a City side that is pushing for an Asian Champions League berth.

Kamau, 22, is also weighing up his future and harbours ambitions of playing abroad.

City is keen to stitch up youngsters Ruon Tongyik and Daniel Arzani.

The futures of experienced trio Michael Jakobsen, Marcelo Carrusca and Manny Muscat are uncertain, while a January exit looms for out-of-favour midfielder Neil Kilkenny.

City’s extraordinary player turnover continued during the week when Argentine Fernando Brandan departed, returning to his parent club after a loan deal.

But his and Tim Cahill’s exits could pave the way for on-loan Aston Villa striker Ross McCormack to stay until the end of the season.

City coach Warren Joyce has said that Kamau and Osama Malik, who is also out of contract at the end of the season, are capable of playing in the English Championship.

Joyce was effusive in his praise of Kamau, who is likely to return for Saturday night’s AAMI Park derby, after he scored the Round 2 derby winner.

“I think he’s a good player. I thought that even before I came to the country, watching him play for Adelaide — I thought he was an outstanding player, to be fair,’’ Joyce said.

“Certainly, if you’re watching Aaron Mooy ... and looking at players who you think could play in English football, he’s certainly one that could play in the English championship, easily.

“The demands on him are to improve certain things about his game and goalscoring is one of the aspects.’’

 

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/football/a-league/melbourne-city-pair-bruce-kamau-and-nick-fitzgerald-to-weigh-up-their-futures/news-story/0c1e9d1c89b5bbd462040bc3fde1e0ef

That was a :up: for copying the article for those of us too friggin' miserable to get a subscription to the Hun :droy:

 

Edited by HEARTinator
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5 minutes ago, bt50 said:

If he has to be 21 to occupy a visa spot then he's too young and cant happen.

Thought this would be interesting to many. From http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/manchester-city-jesus-medina-transfer-loaning-starlet-out-city-football-group-a8120126.html

"Joan Patsy is in charge of CFG’s South American recruitment, having been recruited from Barcelona by technical director Txiki Begiristain. Patsy played a large role in the signing of Gabriel Jesus, who has been a knockout success since signing from Palmeiras and will shortly sign a new, long-term contract with the Manchester club.

German Brunati and Pablo Forte also cover Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay for Manchester City, while they also have scouts in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico that report to Patsy, a former journalist who worked alongside Johan Cruyff during his time at Barca."

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5 hours ago, malloy said:

Can anyone point me in the direction of the full A League rules and regulations? I have only been able to find a summary on the A League website.

They make them up as they go along.

I found the recent admission that the VAR trial was launched without assessing what changes might be needed to the rules governing the MRP to be astonishing, even by A-League standards.

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1 minute ago, Torn Asunder said:

Hopefully the touted changes to the loan system do come into effect this Jan. It is utterly stupid that CFG would be denied the chance to send a kid like this (possible future international superstar) to Melbourne for a spell, because of the A-League’s backward player restrictions.

 

I see absolutely no reason whatsoever for a loan system not to be brought in, but honestly i really dont think it will work in the A League. That's not to say clubs shouldnt have the option, but if you're going terribly and want to play untested kids from Jan, why would you put time into someone else's kids. Kinda seems stupid.
Transfer fees on the other hand might be more worthwhile, someone like a Wellington might see Arzani and think they can get better out of him now and that he's worth x amount. Win - win kinda thing.

In response to the Medina, the proposed changes werent related to overseas players were they??

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4 minutes ago, bt50 said:

I see absolutely no reason whatsoever for a loan system not to be brought in, but honestly i really dont think it will work in the A League. That's not to say clubs shouldnt have the option, but if you're going terribly and want to play untested kids from Jan, why would you put time into someone else's kids. Kinda seems stupid.
Transfer fees on the other hand might be more worthwhile, someone like a Wellington might see Arzani and think they can get better out of him now and that he's worth x amount. Win - win kinda thing.

In response to the Medina, the proposed changes werent related to overseas players were they??

A loan system isn't exclusively for young kids trying to break in but also older types looking for game time. Its both.

But in reality with only 9 other available teams a loan system wouldn't imo get much action. 

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1 minute ago, Jovan said:

A loan system isn't exclusively for young kids trying to break in but also older types looking for game time. Its both.

But in reality with only 9 other available teams a loan system wouldn't imo get much action. 

Yeh i mean im fine with it being brought in, i just dont see that it will be in both parties interests all that often. Like if we were to loan Kilkenny to Perth for example, there's no situation really where that helps us; it just strengthens an opponent.

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1 hour ago, Torn Asunder said:

Hopefully the touted changes to the loan system do come into effect this Jan. It is utterly stupid that CFG would be denied the chance to send a kid like this (possible future international superstar) to Melbourne for a spell, because of the A-League’s backward player restrictions.

I completely disagree I would rather see Arzani or whichever young aussie  get a run before some overseas kid unless expansion etc happens 

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1 hour ago, bt50 said:

Yeh i mean im fine with it being brought in, i just dont see that it will be in both parties interests all that often. Like if we were to loan Kilkenny to Perth for example, there's no situation really where that helps us; it just strengthens an opponent.

It could help us, if, for example, there were only a couple of matches to go in a season and it would be better for us if Perth won them both. So I can see opportunities for influencing results coming from a loan system within the A-League, and therefore I'm against it. And that's quite apart from the difficulties I see in accommodating such a loan system within the numbers and salary caps.

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54 minutes ago, HughJass said:

I completely disagree I would rather see Arzani or whichever young aussie  get a run before some overseas kid unless expansion etc happens 

Yeah, I’d hate to watch the next potential Messi tear the league apart. Certainly wouldnt bring new people through the turnstiles or generate local and international interest in the league. And I’m sure that Arzani wouldn’t learn anything from playing alongside or training with a world class talent, when he can continue to learn from the likes of Muscat and our other aging, slightly above average foreign players, playing our defensive brand of dour football. Makes complete sense not to tap into CFG’s ability to get the best youngsters in the world. The salary cap and the loan restrictions are working wonderfully developing our young kids as is ...

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9 hours ago, R410 said:

I’m hearing we may get Jesus Medina on loan.

Quote

Manchester City expected to seal Jesus Medina transfer before loaning starlet out to gain experience

Medina will be loaned out, likely to another CFG club, but the move is evidence of City's increasing grip on the South American market

 

 The City Football Group’s South American expansion has been a key part of their recruitment plan, with the aim of snapping up some of the world’s best young players in a famously productive footballing continent and then training them into Premier League calibre players at their network of clubs.

And Manchester City are expected to shortly confirm the signing of Paraguayan midfielder Jesus Medina, 20, before farming him out on loan to another CFG side.

Medina, who plays for Libertad in his homeland and recently made his international debut against Mexico, was thought to be close to signing for Argentinean giants Boca Juniors until City made a move.

Joan Patsy is in charge of CFG’s South American recruitment, having been recruited from Barcelona by technical director Txiki Begiristain. Patsy played a large role in the signing of Gabriel Jesus, who has been a knockout success since signing from Palmeiras and will shortly sign a new, long-term contract with the Manchester club.

German Brunati and Pablo Forte also cover Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay for Manchester City, while they also have scouts in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico that report to Patsy, a former journalist who worked alongside Johan Cruyff during his time at Barca

From @jw1739 's article posted above

For what its worth both Transfermarkt and Wikipeidia say he will join NYC on Jan 1st

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/jesus-medina/profil/spieler/353037

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13 minutes ago, Torn Asunder said:

Yeah, I’d hate to watch the next potential Messi tear the league apart. Certainly wouldnt bring new people through the turnstiles or generate local and international interest in the league. And I’m sure that Arzani wouldn’t learn anything from playing alongside or training with a world class talent, when he can continue to learn from the likes of Muscat and our other aging, slightly above average foreign players, playing our defensive brand of dour football. Makes complete sense not to tap into CFG’s ability to get the best youngsters in the world. The salary cap and the loan restrictions are working wonderfully developing our young kids as is ...

Agree.

IMO a team has 5 VISAs. There should be no age restrictions. If a team wants to get a young exciting winger then, yea sure, go for it. Or if they want an older experienced centre back, then sure, sign him too.

Its just regular competition for spots. If Arzani was good enough to go to Europe right now, he would be in the exact situation, competing against players his age of different nationalities.

Overall I dont think its the rules limiting young Aussies, its the piss weak mentality. Players from Africa, South America etc. who live in shit holes play football for their lives. If they dont become professional they will go back to poverty. Whereas in Australia, since we have good comfortable living conditions (not complaining!) younger players dont really care too much if they dont make it professional.

Im one of those people, I wasnt an amazing footballer but made QLD for U15-U17 and also Australia U16 for futsal. But when I started Year 12, I got lazy and decided it was much easier to become an engineer then try and become a footballer, so I just stopped. I have not played an organised 'professional' game since. And by the looks of it my easy decision was correct, I will be earning much more as an engineer.

Edited by haz
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1 hour ago, Torn Asunder said:

Yeah, I’d hate to watch the next potential Messi tear the league apart. Certainly wouldnt bring new people through the turnstiles or generate local and international interest in the league. And I’m sure that Arzani wouldn’t learn anything from playing alongside or training with a world class talent, when he can continue to learn from the likes of Muscat and our other aging, slightly above average foreign players, playing our defensive brand of dour football. Makes complete sense not to tap into CFG’s ability to get the best youngsters in the world. The salary cap and the loan restrictions are working wonderfully developing our young kids as is ...

 

50 minutes ago, haz said:

Agree.

IMO a team has 5 VISAs. There should be no age restrictions. If a team wants to get a young exciting winger then, yea sure, go for it. Or if they want an older experienced centre back, then sure, sign him too.

Its just regular competition for spots. If Arzani was good enough to go to Europe right now, he would be in the exact situation, competing against players his age of different nationalities.

Overall I dont think its the rules limiting young Aussies, its the piss weak mentality. Players from Africa, South America etc. who live in shit holes play football for their lives. If they dont become professional they will go back to poverty. Whereas in Australia, since we have good comfortable living conditions (not complaining!) younger players dont really care too much if they dont make it professional.

Im one of those people, I wasnt an amazing footballer but made QLD for U15-U17 and also Australia U16 for futsal. But when I started Year 12, I got lazy and decided it was much easier to become an engineer then try and become a footballer, so I just stopped. I have not played an organised 'professional' game since. And by the looks of it my easy decision was correct, I will be earning much more as an engineer.

Completely agree with these two posts. All we're doing is reserving places in the A-League and NYL for Australians, reducing incentive and opportunity for them to improve and thereby perpetuating mediocrity. Basically it's protectionism. Over the past 8 seasons since I took up watching the A-League all I've seen is that any initiative to get better players into the league produces further restrictive rules from FFA. 

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41 minutes ago, Shahanga said:

I agree with you @haz. All the FFA needed to do was say any foreigners regardless of age would occupy a full visa spot and not count as an U 20 player. 

Instead they come up with their stupid ban. Sigh.

If they were going down the track of changing things just make 4+1 exempt of the cap and get rid off Marquee status. 

But we all know that's not going to happen. 

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Ross McCormack’s future with Melbourne City will be decided within the fortnight

       DAVID DAVUTOVIC,

       December 26, 2017

 

 

ROSS McCormack’s A-League future could be decided in the next fortnight with Melbourne City investigating ways of keeping the striker.

Signed as an injury replacement from Aston Villa for Bruno Fornaroli, McCormack’s deal currently expires when the Uruguayan sharpshooter returns from injury, likely to be early February.

The Scottish international will want to have his future resolved by then because if a deal can’t be done at City, he will look to move to another English club before the English transfer window closes on January 31.

City’s football chiefs are weighing up the pros and cons of keeping McCormack, 31, which would likely involve a big pay cut, and whether he and Fornaroli could play in the same team.

While they have the street smarts to play a deeper role, both are natural predators who prefer the out-and-out striker’s role.

Coach Warren Joyce’s horses-for-courses style means that it’s quite possible that both could line up in the same XI in a strike pairing rarely seen in the A-League in recent years.

Joyce has adopted similar philosophies to his former mentor Sir Alex Ferguson, by regularly deploying his players in makeshift positions (ie. Michael Jakobsen in midfield and Luke Brattan on the right wing).

And the front two was another Fergie favourite, enjoying plenty of success with front duos like Andy Cole-Dwight Yorke, Wayne Rooney-Louis Saha/Cristiano Ronaldo/Carlos Tevez, Dimitar Berbatov/Robin van Persie).

City’s most likely formation fielding the prolific duo would be a 3-5-2, giving the defence more surety and team more balance while playing a front two.

Otherwise a 4-4-2 could be considered, but that would require him fielding an energetic, high-octane midfield four.

Joyce played down the possibility of much January movement, with defender Harrison Delbridge to come into the squad while Fernando Brandan and Tim Cahill left.

But Neil Kilkenny is odds on to leave in January with one or two more exits in the pipeline, which would open up more spots, though there is believed to be ample salary cap space available.

“I wouldn’t think it will change a great deal because there’s no vacancies on the roster. There’s only one (spot) available,’’ Joyce said.

Cahill’s exit has also left City’s forward stocks threadbare, with Joyce preferring to use Bruce Kamau in a makeshift striker’s role rather than promoting a youth team striker.

That’s why McCormack, who Joyce has fiercely defended while he’s been at City, is every chance of staying on.

His miraculous recovery, several days after it was thought that he needed a knee reconstruction, also impressed Joyce.

“There’s no way last week that you’re thinking Ross is going to be on the pitch,’’ he said.

 

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/football/a-league/teams/melbourne-city/ross-mccormacks-future-with-melbourne-city-will-be-decided-within-the-fortnight/news-story/1f41ec5c3f2fcab345dfba7f0052dfdf

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7 hours ago, Murfy1 said:

Joyce played down the possibility of much January movement, with defender Harrison Delbridge to come into the squad while Fernando Brandan and Tim Cahill left.

But Neil Kilkenny is odds on to leave in January with one or two more exits in the pipeline, which would open up more spots, though there is believed to be ample salary cap space available.

“I wouldn’t think it will change a great deal because there’s no vacancies on the roster. There’s only one (spot) available,’’ Joyce said.

I'd like to know how he works that out. By my calculations we have the bare minimum 20 players in the senior squad, and that includes Delbridge, who technically isn't available until January.

Maybe he can't count beyond "one"? Would explain both the above and why he makes only one substitution...

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2017-18 SQUAD TO DATE: 18th December 2017

Number           Name                           Contract until
Goalkeepers.
1                      Dean Bouzanis               31/5/20.
42                    James Delianov (S)       31/5/19.             Club web-site 30th March 2017.
18                    Eugene Galekovic          31/5/19.             Club web-site 16th June 2017.

Defenders.
6                       Osama Malik                  31/5/18.
2                       Manny Muscat               31/5/18.
21                     Ruon Tongyik                 31/5/18.
22                     Michael Jakobsen (V)   31/5/18.
36                     Dylan Pieiras (S)             31/5/19.            Club web-site 30th March 2017.
3                       Scott Jamieson              31/5/21.            Club web-site 3rd July 2017.
25                     Iacopo La Rocca            31/5/19.            Club web-site 15th July 2017.
34                     Connor Metcalfe (S)       31/5/18.           Club web-site 18th July 2017.
5                       Bart Schenkeveld (V)     31/5/19.            Club web-site 21st August 2017.
--                       Harrison Delbridge          31/5/20.           Club web-site 28th November 2017. Not available to play until January 2018 transfer window.
Midfielders.
14                     Daniel Arzani                   31/5/18.
10                     Fernando Brandan (L,V) 31/5/18.             Contract mutually terminated 18th December 2017. Club web-site that day.
8                       Neil Kilkenny                    31/5/18.

15                     Denis Genreau (S)           31/5/20.            Club web-site 30th March 2017.
35                     Ramy Najjarine (S)          31/5/20.            Club web-site 18th July 2017.
13                     Stefan Mauk (L)               31/5/18.            Club web-site 26th July 2017.
26                     Luke Brattan (L)               31/5/18.            Club web-site 1st August 2017.
9                       Marcelo Carrusca            31/5/18             Club web-site 12th September 2017.

Forwards.
23                     Bruno Fornaroli (M,V)      31/5/19.
7                       Nick Fitzgerald                 31/5/18.
11                     Bruce Kamau                    31/5/18.
17                     Tim Cahill                          31/5/18.            Left the club 6th December 2017.
30                     John Roberts (S)              31/5/19.            Club web-site 18th July 2017.
12                     Braedyn Crowley              31/5/18.            Club web-site 12th September 2017.
27                     Marcin Budzinski (M,V)   31/5/19.            Club web-site 18th September 2017.
44                     Ross McCormack (IRF)          1/18.            Club web-site 29th September 2017.

L:         Loan player.
V:         Visa player.
M:        Marquee player.
S:         Scholarship player

IRF:     Injury-replacement player replacing Bruno Fornaroli.

Outs from 2016/17: Sorensen, Franjic, Rose, Retre, Caceres, Colazo, Kuzmanovski, Gameiro.
Ins for 2017/18: Galekovic, Jamieson, La Rocca, Mauk, Schenkeveld, Carrusca, Crowley, Budzinski, Delbridge.
Outs during 2017/18: Cahill, Brandan.

As at 18th December 2017 (13.36).

This is the latest that I have based on announcements from the club. You can do your own calculation  (bearing in mind that Bruno and Ross count as just one player, and, as far as I am aware, Scholarship players are not counted within the Number and Salary Caps). Unless I am very much mistaken, the list adds up to 20 including Delbridge.

I cannot reconcile the above with Joyce's statement about "one vacancy." That's all I'm saying - nothing more and nothing less.

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