Anticipation is building for Perth Glory’s 25th season, with the A-League campaign set to commence from January 16th.
As the countdown continues, we take a deep dive into the intricacies of season 2020/21…
1. Massive influx of experienced La Liga stars
And we’re not throwing the word ‘stars’ around loosely either!
The competition will be graced by five quality La Liga acts of the last decade with Espanyol legends Victor Sanchez and Javi Lopez, along with Athletic Bilbao midfielder Beñat Etxebarria Urkiaga joining Western United, Adelaide United and Macarthur FC respectively.
Beñat arrives at Macarthur FC alongside his ex-Bilbao teammate Markel Susaeta, with our own maestro Diego Castro rounding off the Spanish contingent in the league.
The quintet boast a staggering total of 1410 La Liga appearances between them and it will be a joy to see them in action in 2020/21.
2. Richard Garcia takes Glory’s top job
Shortly after the conclusion of the 2019/20 A-League season, Richard Garcia was named as Tony Popovic’s successor, thus becoming Glory’s first West Australian-born Head Coach since Gary Marocchi’s final season at the helm in 1998.
It’s Garcia’s first senior Head Coach role after successful stints in charge of Glory’s NPL and NYL teams and, of course, an illustrious playing career which included several seasons in the English Premier League with Hull City FC.
Garcia joins Patrick Kisnorbo (Melbourne City), Grant Brebner (Melbourne Victory) and Ante Milicic (Macarthur) as debutant coaches and is one of eight Australian coaches in the league this season.
3. Glory retains key men
While many clubs have experienced a high turnover of their marquee stars, Glory has bucked the trend by retaining the services of a host of its highest-profile players, including Diego Castro, Bruno Fornaroli, Chris Ikonomidis, Neil Kilkenny and Liam Reddy.
Glory have also signed Irish marksman Andy Keogh for a third stint at the club and added Curacao international and former Eredivisie defender Darryl Lachman to the playing squad, with more signings expected ahead of the season.
4. West Australian youngsters ready for battle
During the 2020 AFC Champions League campaign, Richard Garcia handed Perth Glory professional debuts to seven young West Australian talents in Nicholas Walsh, Giordano Colli, Declan Hughes, Mason Tatafu, Bryce Bafford, Luke Bodnar and Josh Rawlins who faced the might of FC Tokyo, Ulsan Hyundai and Shanghai Shenhua during the group stage of the competition.
A number of these exciting youngsters are likely to be handed further chances to shine when the A-League season gets underway.
5. More Australian talents return home
A number of Australia’s most talented footballers have opted for a homecoming in 2021, headlined by FIFA World Cup 2018 striker Tomi Juric who has returned to where it all started for him at Adelaide United.
Highly-rated youngster George Timotheu has also linked up with the Reds after leaving Belgian first division club Zulte Waregem, Oliver Bozanic has made a much-anticipated return to the Mariners and Ben Folami signed with Melbourne Victory from Ipswich Town before the AFC Champions League.
Click here to see all A-League signings as of December 14
Don’t miss out on the 2021 A-League season.
It’s shaping up to be another thrilling season for Glory, so make sure you’re there every step of the way to help roar the lads to victory – grab you Membership HERE.
#OneGlory
