Recoba link but no talks
1st May 2009, 9:00 WST

Perth Glory have been linked with former Inter Milan and Uruguay star Alvaro Recoba although it is understood no negotiataions are taking place.

It is believed an agent contacted Glory to see if they would be interested in taking on the 33-year-old midfielder. However, there has as yet been no further follow-up.

PERTH
NEIL DEVEY

Mitchell tells fans to be patient
1st May 2009, 12:15 WST

Perth Glory coach Dave Mitchell has returned from his scouting mission in Europe but warned that fans would have to wait at least another week before any announcements are made on new signings.

Mitchell is hunting a marquee player to bolster his squad and hopes to attract a signing in the mould of Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler, who has joined A-League expansion club North Queensland, but cannot guarantee anything at this stage.

“Fowler’s a fantastic player and a great for the league and North Queensland,” Mitchell said.

“There’s a couple of people I’ve spoken to overseas with big names and it’s in the process, but nothing guaranteed yet. We’re after a marquee player and hopefully we can attain one but it’s ongoing.”

One such player who has been linked with a move to Perth is Uruguyan attacker Alvaro Recoba, known to Australian football fans for his performances against the Socceroos and his cultured left foot.

But Mitchell said the process with Recoba remains in its infancy after confirming their interest to the gifted attacker’s agent.

“The next step is how much is he going to be worth and does he really want to come to Perth,” Mitchell said.

“That’s an ongoing thing, nothing’s been decided but there’s been discussions.”

Glory will start pre-season training next week.

More to come…

PERTH
SHAYNE HOPE

Looks like Gold Coast United have agreed to play Fulham. Part of a tour for Fulham including Perth, or instead-of?

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/a-league/gold-coast-to-host-fulham-185113/

Shame we have competition for his signature though .... if PAOK Salinoka make the Uefa cup, that might lure recoba to play for them ... lets also hope that we can match those greek clubs dollar for dollar in regards to wage demands.

fingers crossed.

ooo great to see dave mitchell is interested in signing him aswell and they are speaking to his management.

Shame we have competition for his signature though ....

Ive seen on the website that Ruka, Robinson, Dino and Petkovic are all gone but does that mean that Tarka, Magdic, Doyle and Mark Lee have all signed for the upcoming season??

I would be pretty disappointed if they have, a part from Doyle who has been killing it in the NYL the other 3 have hardly featured. Tarka undoubtedly has the talent but whenever he comes back from long lay offs he is a little off the pace (which is to be expected) and gets frustrated and gives away stupid penaltys and then doh! Hes injured again.

But geez this is the most exciting offseason Glory have had in years and we havent even officially signed any new players.

That article says the Fulham game is on for sure as well.

Recoba will be Kevin Phillips saga all over again.

Have we even contacted Recoba?

Coach sees star player Recoba as perfect fit to lead Perth club back to glory
Michael Cockerill
May 1, 2009 - 1:06AM

PERTH GLORY coach David Mitchell has given Uruguayan superstar Alvaro Recoba the stamp of approval as the player to lead the A-League's biggest underachievers back to the summit of the domestic game.

A week after Recoba's interest surfaced, Mitchell sat down with Glory's ambitious owner Tony Sage yesterday to discuss the prospect of the former international becoming the club's next marquee player, and both have agreed to pursue the opportunity.

Recoba, 33, has spent the past season with mid-table Greek side Panionios, but is out of contract on June 30.

Panionios have offered a new contract, while Greek rivals PAOK Salonika, who hope to qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League through the play-offs, are also interested in his signature.

Perth would have to smash their wage structure and fork out $1 million-plus to lure Recoba. But such is his profile after a decade with Italian giants Inter Milan and two memorable World Cup play-offs against Australia, that the Glory could expect to recoup a large part of their investment through a major spike in attendances.

If Recoba were to join Perth, he would arguably trump former England international Robbie Fowler [North Queensland Fury] as the competition's biggest drawcard.

Mitchell was oblivious to the Recoba connection until returning from a scouting trip to Europe two days ago, and Sage made it clear earlier in the week the coach's view would decide whether the deal would be pursued.

Last night Mitchell gave the long-suffering Glory fans the news they wanted to hear. "We'd love to have him here," he said. "He's a striker who floats about, which is exactly what I'm looking for. We want a marquee player next season, and we've made no secret of that.

"But we don't want one just for the sake of it. It has to be someone who adds value to the club, adds value to the league, and hopefully is an exciting player who's going to score you goals.

"He fits the bill perfectly. Players of his quality aren't easy to find, but the good thing now is the A-League's being recognised more and more overseas, and there's a bit of a fantasy about coming to play in Australia.

"Hopefully, that will help us get the deal over the line. So far the club has expressed its interest, so now it's a matter of finding out what his demands are. We know we can't pay him what he might get in Europe, so it's a question of how persuasive you are.

"We're going to get back in touch with his management, and take it from there … He's still a fantastic player, and he'd be a huge drawcard. He'd light up the A-League."

After dominating the last years of the old NSL, Glory have been a disappointment in the A-League, failing to make the finals in each of the past four seasons.

Sage, who late last year assumed total control of the club after buying out his two former partners, has made no secret of his determination to drag Glory back to the top, and is seemingly prepared to spend to achieve his ambitions.

Even if Perth miss out on Recoba, there are at least two other candidates to fill the marquee spot, while Mitchell has returned from Europe having agreed terms with three new recruits - believed to include fringe Socceroos midfielder Jacob Burns and veteran English defender Andy Todd.

Sage, meanwhile, has also agreed to underwrite two high-profile pre-season games in July against English Premier League opponents Wolverhampton Wanderers and Fulham, both of which should fill the 18,000-seat Members Equity Stadium.

Lol We have more to talk about - they haven't even played a match yet! 38 pages of pure hype? :p

Fixed.

a few more posts and we'll overtake them as having the most useless thread.

This is extremely unlikely... I daresay both Recoba and Mile would have to be Marquee signings:)

He 'could' even play alongside Dadi, given we lack strikers, but with a front two with Recoba behind, that's an embarrassment of riches, especially if the second striker could be someone like Mile - That's Dangerous! :o