A-League Men season to start without marquee names as international stars pick up contracts in Saudi Arabia

The A-League Men kicks off this week and if fans were looking for an Alessandro Del Piero-like figure to turbocharge interest in the competition they may be left disappointed.

Football’s transfer system has been turned on its head by the influx of cash from Saudi Arabia, whose clubs have spent close to $1.58 billion in the past four months.

The Australian Professional Leagues (APL) have a pot of money set aside to lure big names to Australia in a bid to replicate the effect Italian star Del Piero had when he played for Sydney FC from 2012 to 2014.

But in the time since the APL assumed control of the ALM from Football Australia in 2021, the top-draw signings — such as Daniel Sturridge and Nani — have flopped rather than thrived.

And try as APL chief executive Danny Townsend might, his spending power pales into significance when compared to the big bucks on offer in the Middle East, where superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, N’Golo Kante and even A-League veteran Craig Goodwin have recently signed.

“I think where it’s probably impacting us is with those players who are 34 or 35 and have been our typical targets and are now going to Saudi Arabia,” Townsend said.

“That just makes it that little bit difficult for us.”

Australian clubs have reacted accordingly and their international recruits now seem to reflect their standing in the global transfer market, signing players with potential rather than those in search of a holiday or an opportunity to be a big fish in a smaller pond.

Sydney have added Brazilian defender Gabriel Lacerda, 24, and striker Fabio Gomes, 26, and if they fulfil their promise the Sky Blues may well profit by selling them in the future.

“We believe we’ve got a better balance in our squad in terms of age,” Sydney FC chief executive Adam Santo said.

“That was a really key focus with the foreign recruitment of those Brazilian boys.

“Historically with the right balance you can set yourself up for success.

“But we’re not just about selling players, we want to win trophies at Sydney FC.”

As well as impacting Australian club recruitment, the Saudi boom has created a chain reaction when it comes to retention.

During the past 12 months, the Central Coast Mariners have picked up Sam Silvera (Middlesborough), James McGarry (Aberdeen) and Nectar Triantis (Sunderland), then sold them to British clubs for transfer fees.

Melbourne City, Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers have also had their bank balances topped up by the sales of players overseas in recent months.

“We’ve done some really good business over the off-season,” Wanderers boss Marko Rudan said.

“We understand the league we’re in, you give younger ones an opportunity and if you put trust in them they get sold.”

But the off-season exodus of stars and homegrown talent, and a lack of headline-grabbing stars coming from overseas, has created a chasm.

A-League commissioner Nick Garcia said in a recent interview the competition now viewed itself as a “development league” with the pursuit of “sugar hit” marquees signings becoming less attainable.

Townsend said it is unlikely the A-League will return to the days of luring a Del Piero, Dwight Yorke or an Emile Heskey to Australia, but the APL boss says the rapidly changing landscape of world football will force clubs to continue looking from within well into the future.

“Our league is building a profile for itself around the way we play and the talent we bring into the competition early,” Townsend said.

“How our fans have reacted to Nestory Irankunda and Garang Kuol has changed how people view our league.

“It’s not to say we don’t want foreigners and will stop looking for great foreign talent, but we’re starting to see the benefits to the Australian and New Zealand football ecosystem.

“Developing our own talent, showcasing it in the A-League and seeing them transition into some really exciting clubs in Europe and beyond. We are starting to skew younger and that’s an exciting change.”

AAP