Latest news with #StanLazaridis
News.com.au
21-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
English winger Joe Lolley's bid to join Perth Glory denied by Sydney FC
Sydney FC has refused a request from star winger Joe Lolley to leave the club to join Perth Glory. The news comes as the Sky Blues prepare to add to their attacking arsenal with the signing of former Adelaide United and Macarthur FC forward Al Hassan Toure from American outfit FC Tulsa. Englishman Lolley, 32, was linked with a move to Perth two months ago despite being contracted to Sydney until the end of the 2025-26 A-League season. At the time, the Sky Blues would only agree to a move if it was in exchange for star Glory striker Adam Taggart, but that was rejected by Perth, who had no intention of letting the Socceroos marksman leave the club. However, Glory director of football Stan Lazaridis has confirmed that the club has kept a visa player spot free in its 2025-26 squad and written to the Sky Blues asking them to accept Lolley's request to join Perth. 'Joe got in contact with us to tell us he wanted to play for us,' Lazaridis said. 'We would love to have Joe Lolley at our football club, and we wrote to Sydney about it, but they don't want to let him go. 'There's not a lot more we can do, as Joe is contracted to Sydney.' Sky Blues chief executive Mark Aubrey said Lolley was a 'required player' at Sydney. 'We have no intention of letting him go,' Aubrey said. Sydney's head of player management Alexander Baumjohann is understood to have the same attitude as Aubrey in not allowing Lolley to leave. However, it's believed that Sydney coach Ufuk Talay would have no qualms about Lolley leaving the Sky Blues, fearing that keeping a player who did not want to be at the club would have a negative effect on the team. But Aubrey said Lolley – who played in the Sky Blues' 2-1 win over Wrexham last Tuesday – was a 'professional' and would get on with his job of being a Sydney player. Meanwhile, 25-year-old Toure is hoping to revive his career with his move to the Sky Blues after spending the past two seasons abroad. Before joining Tulsa in April, the former Australian under-23 international had stints in Turkey with Eyupspor and Sanliurfaspor, and in France with Ajaccio. In 75 A-League appearances – 33 as a starter – for Adelaide and Macarthur, Toure scored seven goals. Elsewhere, the Glory has added to their coaching staff, with former Wellington Phoenix assistant coach Adam Griffith joining Perth in a similar role. The Glory also has a new goalkeeper coach, with German Kristian Barbuscak replacing Danny Milosevic.
RNZ News
17-06-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Kaltak moves to Perth, set to launch football academy
Brian Kaltak in action for his former club, the Central Coast Mariners, in the A-League. Photo: Facebook / Brian Kaltak Football Academy Vanuatu national men's football team captain Brian Kaltak has signed a multi-year deal with Perth Glory, the A-League club has confirmed. The Western Australia based club said the 31-year-old Vanuatu international had enjoyed a remarkable run of success in the A-League since debuting for Central Coast Mariners in 2022. In that time, he helped the Mariners claim the Championship in 2023 and an unprecedented Championship/Premiership/AFC Cup treble in 2024. And as he makes his move to his new club, Kaltak has also announced that he is ready to launch a football academy at home in Vanuatu. The project is set to launch in July, with the Australian government stepping in to partner with Kaltak with funding. Playing at centre-back, Kaltak started all but one of the Mariners' games, taking his total number of appearances past the 80-mark. Statistics for the last season showed he made 21 tackles and completed 37 interceptions. Kaltak hopes he can achieve the same success with Glory. "This a new chapter for me and I'm excited for it," he told Perth Glory. "I was with the Mariners for three years and now it's time to try something new. I think this move will be good for me and good for my football. When I spoke to [Glory Football Director] Stan Lazaridis, he was really passionate about what the club is trying to do. "This club has a huge history of winning titles, Stan is trying to get it back to where it belongs and I want to be a part of that in my new journey. "Creating a good environment and getting a good bunch of boys that gel well together, that's what makes the biggest difference and that is what I want this club to be." Lazaridis believes that Kaltak has the potential to become a huge favourite with the club's Members and fans. "It's impossible not to love the way Brian goes about his business," he said. "He's an incredibly strong and explosive defender who puts his body on the line every time he steps onto the field and is 100% committed to everything he does. "Those qualities, plus his know-how in terms of what it takes to win the A-League, will make him an invaluable member of our squad and an ideal mentor for our younger defenders in particular. "Securing Brian's services is a genuine coup for the club and I'm really excited to see the impact he will make on and off the field for us this year and beyond." Brian Kaltak, left, during a meeting with Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat in Port Vila discussinghis project to develop football and sports in general in the country. 13 June 2025 Photo: Facebook / Ministry of the Prime Minister - Vanuatu Meanwhile, Kaltak has secured support from the Australian government to help launch his youth football academy. Vanuatu Daily Post reported this week that the sponsorship was announced by the Australian High Commissioner, Max Willis, during a ceremony in Port Vila. "We are really excited about partnering with Brian on his academy," Willis said. "Sport plays such an important role in bringing people together, promoting healthy practices, and building strong community bonds." Kaltak said he was delighted with the support for the academy, which will offer free programs for Vanuatu's young players. "I'm sure that what we have can help mentor our next superstars of Vanuatu in the future," he said. Kaltak said the academy hopes to cater for young people who are faced with limited access to structured football programs. He hopes this initiative will create a strong pipeline of talent capable of reaching international standards.
