Lauded as one of Australia’s most promising young wingers when he broke onto the scene with Brisbane Roar in 2008, Tommy Oar has forged an uneven path to this point.
A 2010 move to FC Utrecht in the Netherlands was seen as a great opportunity to further his development, but injuries and coaching changes prevented him from fully realising his potential. Earlier this year he announced he would not be re-signing with the Dutch club and since then has not chosen which club to move to. A key member of the Socceroos’ long term plans, Oar needs to carefully consider his next move in order to achieve his professional goals.
One career move that has been ruled out by Oar himself was a return to the A-League, with a preference to move on to a higher calibre league such as Germany or England. His most recent display for the Socceroos in their 2018 World Cup qualifier against Kyrgyzstan showed he has the potential to flourish in such a league, however it is unlikely the top clubs there would be interested in him for anything more than simple squad depth.
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At just 23 years of age, Oar is far from the finished product in terms of his development. He has shown flashes of elite potential but has failed to consistently produce. His physical skills have given him the ability to put himself in good attacking positions but his final ball still needs some work. In his time with Utrecht, he scored just 15 goals in over 100 appearances, which suggests he is going to be more of a chance creation type of winger rather than an out-and-out goal scorer. Even then, in the Postecoglu system, his finishing needs to be at a level where he can finish more chances than he misses.
His next move needs to provide him with a chance to feature regularly against top opposition. While many Australian football fans would love to have a player featuring at a big-name club, Oar is still a way off being ready for regular football at that level. With that in mind, his best move, if one is on the table, is to look for a low to mid-table side in one of Europe’s top leagues where he can play regularly and showcase his talents for a move in the next three to four years when he reaches his peak. For a young star like Oar, making a good decision is crucial, as is 90 minutes against top opponents. Such an opportunity could see him reach the level we all hope for and see Oar become one of Australia’s best attackers.
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Whispers that Ipswich are keen on him which would be a good move, pushing for promotion and a good shop windows for other leagues and the premiership.