Perth Glory can today confirm that Tomislav Mrcela has departed the club and that Nathaniel Atkinson and Andrew Nabbout will not now be joining the squad.
Defender Mrcela, who made 30 Hyundai A-League appearances after arriving in 2018, has been granted an early release from his contract in order to return to Croatia with his wife.
Atkinson and Nabbout, meanwhile, have had their contracts terminated by mutual consent due to the issues surrounding them relocating from Melbourne and in Nabbout’s case, his understandable reluctance to make the move without his family.
Mrcela was quick to thank the club’s Members and fans for their support during his time in the West.
“I had a great two years here which I think, overall, were two successful years for the club,” he said.
“I hope we gave the Members and fans some joy and I would like to thank them all.
“I’m taking many great memories away, leaving as a better man and a better player and who knows what the future brings?”
Perth Glory Chief Executive Officer Tony Pignata acknowledged Mrcela’s contribution to the club’s recent success and pointed out that circumstances beyond the club’s control had rendered the Atkinson and Nabbout deals unviable.
“Tomi has performed extremely well for the club over the past two years,” he said, “and we have granted him an early release for family reasons.
“On behalf of the club, I would like to thank him for his service and wish him all the very best for the future.
“In terms of Atkinson and Nabbout, meanwhile, we are obviously disappointed that two players of their quality will not now be joining us, but unfortunately the ongoing border restrictions have made their moves impossible at this time.
“The club is, however, continuing to implement a very aggressive recruitment policy and there are now additional opportunities for other players to join what we are confident will be a highly-competitive squad for the 2020-21 season.”
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