Griffiths shooting for Sydney deal

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27 November 2012-SBS EXCLUSIVE
griffiths shanghai a-league sydney

Respected ... Griffiths was a big hit with fans in China (AAP)

Sydney FC could have a new coach and striker in the coming weeks with Joel Griffiths in talks over a move to the A-League club in the January transfer window.

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The Sky Blues are firming as the next destination for Griffiths either as a guest player or a long-term deal.

Poised to become a free agent after a season playing alongside Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka at Shanghai Shenhua, the 33-year-old former Newcastle Jets golden boot is keen to return to the A-League after four years in Asia.

Griffiths' Sydney-based representative Luke Torossian has already held preliminary talks with Sydney FC football director Gary Cole over a contract for the natural number nine, who can also operate wide on the right.

Former club Newcastle is also in the mix but Sydney – home of his younger brother Adam – appears to have the inside running on Griffiths who scored 19 goals in 56 appearances for Beijing Guoan and six in 18 for Shanghai.

While he also has options in the Chinese Super League, with a second child due soon, Sydney-raised Griffiths is ready to return to his roots – even though he will have to take a significant pay cut.

"There are some A-League clubs that are keen and I am now back in Australia thinking about my next move," he said.

"I can't join any club until January anyway but I am certainly open to offers. "There is a tremendous buzz around the A-League right now. It's getting a lot of hype and I would like to be a part of it.

“If my friends, most of who are footy players, are talking about the A-League then the competition must be doing something right.

"We'll wait and see what happens. If I come back to the A-League it won't be for money. It will be more about the lifestyle for my family."

Sydney FC, which looks set to imminently unveil former Australia and Brisbane Roar boss Frank Farina as its stop-gap replacement for Ian Crook, has been leaning heavily on the goals of Alessandro Del Piero and is in need of a proven finisher at the pointy end.

After being courted by Western Sydney Wanderers before failing to come to financial terms as recently as last month, Griffiths believes he is more than up to the task of delivering the goals the Sky Blues need to revive their season.

Though his arrival would not come until past the halfway mark of the season, he is convinced he make still make an impression after his experience in China with Drogba and Anelka.

"I am 33 but feeling really good and I had strong last half of the season in China," he said.

"I am coming off an incredible experience of playing alongside two of the best strikers to have played the game on the international stage in the last few years.

"You can't buy that sort of experience. You just learn from it and both those guys enjoyed passing on their knowledge. "I have become a far calmer player these days."