Wellington Phoenix men hoping to announce attacking recruit within the next fortnight

Reinforcements are on the way for the Wellington Phoenix men when they return to their home in Wollongong. Coach Ufuk Talay said ahead of Saturday’s clash with the Central Coast Mariners at WIN Stadium that he hopes to announce the signing of an attacking midfielder within the next 14 days. This player is expected to be unavailable until the next transfer window opens on January 14th. By that time, the Phoenix will have played 10 A-League men’s games, 1-1 draws against Macarthur. But Talay hopes that by getting the deal done early – and by signing a loan – his new recruit can take off. Read More * Reno Piscopo dispels injury concerns as Wellington Phoenix’s men get off to a solid start as Phoenix have yet to replace Ulises Dávila. “[Things are] very advanced with one of them at the moment. Hopefully in the next week or maybe in 10 days we will tell you who it is and when to come in, ”Talay said on Friday. “It’s very advanced at the moment. With the other, we still find who the right player is. ”Talay confirmed that the signature they were about to announce was a number 10 to replace Dávila, but declined to provide any further evidence where the player would come from. He explained why the Phoenix are now pursuing loan agreements instead of permanent signings, saying it was not due to budgetary concerns. “We want to sign players who are kind of fringe players, who still train in a good environment and get game time, but obviously don’t get enough game time, so they want to be loaned out. “It’s good to hire a free agent, but these guys weren’t in a team environment. The seasons started in Europe so these guys missed the game time. Even if we bring in a free agent player, we still have to get them to a certain point where they can actually play with us. “For me the loan option is a better option and at the same time, I think we have a young squad this year, but we’re also looking at what these young players will do.” give us for the season after and what we need to build around them. Hiring a loanee doesn’t involve us because if we had to sign a free agent, they’ll always want an 18-month contract. ”The Phoenix hope they’ll still be in the top 6 hunt until im New signings are available on January 1st and they can make that happen by extending their current undefeated streak for as long as possible, starting Saturday against the Mariners. They ended last season with eleven games without defeat and started the new season with a 1-1 draw at Macarthur FC last Sunday, where Gary Hooper’s penalty in the first half with a goal from Lachlan Rose in a set piece at the hour mark. Defender Louis Fenton is set to be an option against the Mariners after returning faster than expected after suffering a knee injury. The game brings the Phoenix back to Wollongong, where they were based last season and will play at least four home games this season due to the Covid-19 limit restrictions in place in New Zealand. Whether that number will rise depends on the government’s willingness to compromise on its plan to replace the managed isolation system with home isolation for seven days from mid-January and not allow foreigners to enter under these conditions until the end of April, which one Makes trans-Tasman travel impossible week after week. The Phoenix – and those involved in Super Rugby Pacific – hope a bespoke agreement can be reached, but the government has so far been cautious about Covid-19 and will be cautious about giving sports teams special treatment. Speaking of his team’s return to Wollongong, Talay made it clear how great the impact of their long stays in all of Tasmanism was. “It’s our home away from home, but to be honest, it’s not home at all. I want to come back as soon as possible. We’ve been gone for so long. I don’t think it’s good for our club to be gone for so long, I don’t think it’s good for our players, I don’t think it’s good for our fans. “We just want a bit of normalcy, we want to train from Martin Luckie, sleep in our own beds and prepare for a home game where the opposing team has to travel to New Zealand. “We just want to play home and at home as soon as possible, but this group has adapted to whatever was thrown in front of them.” A-League Men – Round Two Wellington Phoenix v Central Coast Mariners WIN Stadium, Wollongong; Saturday, 7:05 p.m. NZ time

[ad_2]