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The past 18 months have seen a serious shake-up at the Western Sydney Wanderers from the boardroom to the academy.
The youth team itself has been hit the hardest, losing a staggering 20-plus players, including several to rival clubs like the Central Coast Mariners, Macarthur Bulls and Melbourne City.
But the red and blacks will hope to bounce back with a new coach and an interesting collection of young players who have been signed for the upcoming NPL season.
In charge of this motley crew will be Andrew Christiansen.
Christiansen is renowned for his work with young players and could be looked at as a senior A-League coach in the coming years if things go well.
His work with the Central Coast Mariners has not gone unnoticed, especially after being named as coach of the year for steering the Mariners’ League 1 side last season
(Photo by Nigel Owen/Action Plus via Getty Images)
Christiansen will be able to cast his eyes further down the academy and try to implement changes to establish a positive football culture in a system that has become infamous for its toxicity
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Having one of the next generation’s most gifted coaches in Australia running this group is a coup for the Wanderers.
Losing so many players in a short period of time has seen the Wanderers recruit from outside their catchment area, with some interesting interstate acquisitions.
I have previously written about Jok Akuien, the former Adelaide City junior who was playing for Adelaide United’s youth team last season. He’s a left back or centre back.
He is reminiscent of Bambi on ice thanks to his gangly frame, with legs and arms going everywhere. If the Wanderers are able to further develop him, they could have quite a player on the roster.
Adelaide United reserves NPL player Sidiki Dukuly is the younger brother of Yaya Dukuly, who is currently playing in France.
He has the same trickery and pace as his older brother but will once again have to prove himself in the Wanderers’ reserves before being considered for promotion to this side.
But the diamond in the rough of signing, may well be Ariath Piol, who is rated as one of the top ten talents in South Australia. Piol’s development as a teenager at Christian Brothers College was overseen by A-League legend Marcelo Carrusca.
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At the same time Piol has been playing for MetroStars, who are one of the premier youth developers in the SA NPL. He finished last season with several goals and impressive performances.
The Wanderers acted swiftly, beating his home-town A-League club to Piol’s coveted signature.
Teng Kuol, the middle brother of the fast-rising Australian football family, has followed his coach from the Mariners to the Wanderers.
Edmond Lupancu has joined from Melbourne Victory. The left-sided defender has previously played junior football in France.
I’ve previously spoken about Mason Fernandez, and the young attacker joins from rival A-League club Newcastle.
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All these new recruits should give Wanderers fans cause for optimism, especially as the club was able to fight off rivals for other talented players like George Antonis, Marcus Younis, Luca Pecora, Frans Deli, Edmun Haddad and Liam Bonetig.
Once you factor in that spearheading the attack will be current Joeys striker Max Hately, you can see why there are high inernal expectations for this young Wanderers team.
The problem with expectations, especially at a club like Western Sydney, is they usually go unfulfilled. This club has a history of talented teams self-imploding.
While they’re unlikely to challenge for the title this upcoming NSW NPL season, if the new coach’s philosophy and playing group gels, a comfortable mid-table finish would not be beyond of the realm of possibility.
