One Visa Spot Left, Should Glory Use It In January?
Following the departure of Israeli centre forward Ben Azubel, it’s now opened the window of opportunity for the Perth Glory to make a move for a foreign player in January.
Azubel leaving Glory in all honesty isn’t a terrible decision.
The 29-year-old struggled to make an impact when leading the line, and while plausible claims to explain this such as a lack of quality service was made by the fans, it’s also a fair comment to say that Azubel did not offer the Glory anywhere near enough in attack.
Despite being 6’4, he struggled to hold the ball up and dominate the defenders, whether it be in the air or on the ground.
As an example, the game against Melbourne City where Azubel had to hold the ball up and win contests to alleviate pressure, he lost 9 duels which were the most out of anyone on the pitch despite being substituted at halftime.
So looking forward, should the Glory use the final visa spot in this upcoming transfer window?
For me, the answer should be a resounding yes as long as there is a suitable candidate available. I don’t want us to make a signing just for the sake of it.
Now, in terms of what that spot should be used on, several areas could use reinforcement.
It’s fair to say that the Glory need a solid left-back, given the current options are Jack Clisby and Joseph Forde.
Forde has a lot of potential, though at the moment he’s a bit raw and needs time to develop. As for Clisby, he’s not the greatest but he’s not the worst.
In my eyes, we must secure the signature of a playmaker.
My reasoning behind this is pretty simple.
First of all, the champion that is Diego Castro was not replaced adequately last season and we failed to do so this season, albeit a deal with a potential playmaker was very close to completion.
Diego, being the integral cog to the success that we had, meant that finding someone remotely close to his quality and class was always going to be mission impossible.
His grace, poise and intelligence that would grace a football pitch every time he stepped onto one was a joy to watch.
Now I’m not saying that we need to find someone identical to Castro, as financially that would be extremely difficult.
Instead, we need to find someone that would excel when it comes to pulling the strings and being a presence in the final third, linking the ball from the midfield to the attack.
Keegan Jelacic has been doing a very good job thus far, averaging 2.2 chances created and 1.8 key passes per game.
But having said that, we do need someone a fraction more experienced, as the knock-on effect in the short and long term will be extremely beneficial to the club, and this mostly revolves around the young gun.
In the immediate future, Glory would get an experienced playmaker, who in part will pass on knowledge to Jelacic and perform at a reasonably high-level week in and week out.
Looking longer term, this will massively aid Jelacic’s development and there’s every chance he could really explode in the coming seasons.
It makes complete sense, to me.
However, finding a solid playmaker at this time of the season is a challenge and a big risk, but not totally outlandish.
There are a couple of problems with going after players now, with one being that players who are playing in countries like Japan, South Korea, Brazil or Sweden are in their off-season, and a large portion have their contracts going out at the end of this month.
Many quality players have already been signed by clubs so they start either on January the 1st or 11th.
Another problem is that the majority of the current free agents were let go by their respective clubs ahead of the 2022/23 season.
As an example, Swiss playmaker Davide Mariani only played 947 minutes for a club from Bulgaria called PFC Beroe Stara Zagora in the 2021/22 season.
Though there should be no questions about his qualities, as for example in the 2020/21 season with Al-Ittihad Kalba SC, Mariani scored 2 goals, registered 7 assists and created 2.55 chances per game.
Should the Glory go for him, his multi-functionality would be a major asset for head coach Ruben Zadkovich, as the 31-year-old can play as a central midfielder, as an attacking midfielder or off the left wing.
Another free agent the Glory could consider is Pablo Ceppelini, formerly of Uruguayan powerhouse, Club Atlético Peñarol.
Ceppelini would be an interesting addition, as he was a solid performer for Peñarol in the Primera División and Copa Libertadores, as his contributions defensively and offensively were impressive for an attacking midfielder.
As an example, he ranked in the top 12% of wingers/attacking midfielders in the competition when it came to defensive actions.
His best attributes though are his passing, as he was one of the best when it came to progressive passes, ranked in the top 1% for second assists and top 20% for smart passes.
As an option off the left or just behind the centre-forward, the 31-year-old would be a convenient option for the Glory.
Or, if the Glory were looking to find someone that is currently contracted to another club and looking to seek a mutual termination or potentially pay a transfer fee, then I would suggest Girona playmaker Borja García.
A technical player who can function either as a left winger, attacking midfielder or central midfielder, García would be an excellent addition to the Glory in my eyes.
He spent a large portion of the World Cup break working back to full fitness following a nasty injury in the latter stages of the 2021/22 La Liga 2 season.
As it appears there aren’t many areas in the starting eleven at Girona for him, it would make sense for the Glory to try and make a move for him.
Last season he completed 72% of his dribbles, won 61% of his ground duels, averaged 1.2 key passes per game and was fouled 2.1 times per game.
If he is to make the move to Perth, then there would be no doubt in my mind that we would see him score some special goals.
During his time with Girona and SD Huesca, he built a reputation for scoring absolute rockets from outside the box.
With his contract expiring in June next year, it would be a smart move to try and bring him in as soon as possible.
Or, another player that is currently contracted overseas and would be a great option should he come, is 31-year-old Curaçaoan midfielder Roly Bonevacia.
A name that would be very familiar to those following the A-League, given his time with the Wellington Phoenix and the Western Sydney Wanderers.
Currently playing in Kuwait with Al-Tadamon SC, in my eyes Bonevacia would be a game changer of an addition to the Glory should he make the move.
In his last season in the A-League with the Wanderers, Bonevacia was outstanding scoring 7 goals, registering 7 assists, completing 1.7 key passes per game and creating 37 chances.
Capable of playing as either a left winger, attacking midfielder behind the striker or as a central midfielder, his versatility would be a huge asset for Ruben Zadkovich.
Now, while I have listed off some pretty impressive names, the alternative for the Glory could be not making any moves in January.
It may not be a popular move, but when we want to ensure this rebuild goes as quickly but also as smoothly as possible, making rash moves in January could cost us in the short and long term.
