NEW AGE ARNOLD IMPRESSES
GRAHAM Arnold is ready to offer further advice to Milos Degenek about his potential Saudi Arabia move whenever he needs it.
In the same breath, the Socceroos coach reminded the defender what a fantastic six months he’s had with Red Star Belgrade.
Degenek appears to be in talks about a lucrative transfer to the country’s richest club, Al Hilal, who, according to Serbian media, are ready to trigger his €3 million buyout clause during the January window.
The speculation was fuelled when the 24-year-old was captured in a social media video last week with an Al Hilal player and asked if he planned to join them, to which he replied: “Nothing is finished but we will see.”
“Me and Rene (Muelensteen) had a chat to him last week about it,” Arnold said.
“We haven’t had another chat to Milos since then.”
Degenek is otherwise yet to address the prospective move, which would come only six months after joining his boyhood Serbian side from Ange Postecoglou’s Yokohama F. Marinos after the World Cup.
It would mean sacrificing a high level of football at Red Star, for whom he’s been in excellent domestic and UEFA Champions League form, for enough money to potentially set him up for life.
Al Hilal, the side Western Sydney Wanderers beat to win the 2014 Asian Champions League final, have a strong team but some of the opposition is less so, while the heat can sap some of the intensity out of games.
Former Socceroos boss Ange Postecoglou wasn’t shy about the fact he did not look favourably on his players plying their trade in a lower standard of league.
“I’d rather not go down that avenue because there’s more than that probably there, there’s more reasons for certain people to take different options,” Arnold said. “It’s their life but at the same time he’s had a great six months at Red Star. He’s put himself in the window in Europe.”
Arnold indicated a decision would be put on hold until after Australia’s Asian Cup defence, which kicked off last night against Jordan. “He doesn’t really want to make any decisions until this tournament is over,” Arnold said.