Deadline day never fails to let fans down… unless it does. That has not stopped a few Aussies making moves around the world.
Mat Ryan – Valencia [Spanish Cup draw]
In the Spanish Copa del Rey draw, Ryan’s Valencia were handed the easy task of facing Barcelona. After all, it’s not like their forward line can score goals at will or anything and it’s not like their leading man Lionel Messi has accomplished a whole lot in his career – easy as. At least to Ryan’s benefit, he will have plenty of opportunities to make saves across the two legs of the tie. The first leg of the tie will be played at the Camp Nou Thursday morning AEDT with the second leg at the Mestalla a week later. Working in Ryan’s favour is the fact he played a full game over the weekend for the club and kept a clean sheet.
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Jackson Irvine – Ross County [Scottish Cup match]
The Socceroos midfielder faced his former club in a Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden Park. In an upset showing, underdogs Ross County prevailed 3-1 over a 10-man Celtic that was missing Socceroos midfielder Tom Rogic, which may have had a role in the defeat. Celtic lost defender Efe Ambrose for a foul in the box on 15 minutes. Irvine had a chance to score a goal late in the game but had his effort saved by Craig Gordon. It is Ross County’s first ever League Cup final and they will be hoping to make a day of it when they face Hibernian on 13 March.
James Troisi – Liaoning FC [Transfer]
Another Socceroos regular making the move to the Chinese Super League, Troisi left Ittihad after a dispute over unpaid wages. He was with the Middle Eastern club for five months, playing in eight games and failing to register a goal. At Liaoning, he will not be the only Australian with Michael Thwaite also joining the club at the start of the year.
Happy to announce that I have joined Liaoning Whowin FC.
Great to be a part of this booming… https://t.co/Wzvgk1yAco— James Troisi (@JTroisi14) January 30, 2016
Robbie Kruse – Bayer Leverkusen [End of loan – for now]
Kruse’s loan to fellow Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart did not go to plan, failing to get a steady run in the first team and Bayer decided it was time to bring him back. His time was not helped by niggling injuries and he is currently out with a toe injury. According to reports, he is expecting to be back in time for the Europa League tie in just over two weeks from now. Fox Sports reporter Daniel Garb told the Daily Football Show that a move to China may be on the cards in the near future, which would make Kruse the latest in a number of Aussies to join the booming league.
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