After that Markovic news article, I quickly checked email and had a new message from Sydney FC. I thought it was great that they were confirming the announcement so quickly.
Turned out to be a dumb email about a dumb Australia Cup game that we’ll have to forfeit cos NO SIGNINGS!
Definitely been too long since we had Lazar’s in the Cove.
Finished work early so here’s the best highlight videos I can find (trying to keep it recentish):
2018-19 but I get the sense this was maybe preseason as he doesn’t have a name on his jersey:
He scored both goals in this game, including maybe the most pathetic keeper mistake on the second:
These are the two goals he scored at Hull:
I like that he has highlights on both the left and right, playing as a more traditional winger on the right and an inside forward on the left. Also a few highlights with some nice passing while sitting as a 10.
This article on him is tough reading…so many injuries.
For what its worth hes valued at 1.8mil on transfermarkt. Our best player currently is Grant at 700k. When Milos first signed he was valued at 1mil
Also a potential decent attacking signing with the same agent
You posted that around the time there was a contractual hitch with the last bloke from Red Star, right? 
Two other things from that article:
Sydney FC are also searching for a new foreign striker, and until recent days were in talks with 105-time Belgium international Dries Mertens, 35, who has played for Napoli for the past nine seasons. While sources say the Sky Blues have pulled out of those discussions, the club is still searching for a big-name recruit to coincide with their move into the new Allianz Stadium - on par with Melbourne Victory’s Nani coup
Interesting that we’ve pulled out - there are only a handful of other free-agent #9s who would fit that description. Cavani, Costa. Suárez is probably impossible.
and could afford to do so in addition to signing Markovic, who it is believed will be classified as a ‘designated player’, not a marquee, which Mertens would have been.
Is this only saying that Marković could potentailly be signing for little enough to fit in a ‘designated player’ slot, or is it implying that there is only one marquee position remaining?
Some more free agent speculation
From this list and going off the Mertens idea costing too much I’ll throw out Berahino and Nolito as players closer in value to Markovic that seem to hit the vague brief
We might have pulled out after he said he wants 5 million a year or some bullshit. That type of thing.
I would think that “in talks with” is a bit further along than enquiring and finding out he’s way out of reach.
Either way, with so few options with a real “marquee” name, I would’ve thought we’d leave our best offer open and leave it with him to reject? Unless an alternative option has progressed…
Obviously deep in reading the tea leaves here, but there has been so little to speculate off so far.
I suspect you’re reading into it too much.
Looking through the off-contract players…
Would be fantastic but out of reach:
Suarez
Cavani
Costa
Mertens
Ibra
Would be quality signings for talent and name recognition but injury/fitness worries
Juan Mata (34) - can he play full games? Hasnt played with any regulartiy for 3 years.
Hatem Ben Arfa (35) - Hasnt played much in the last two seasons.
Would probably be quality signings
Nolito (35) - Still playing a lot every season at top level. Hasn’t been a goal scorer for a few years.
Felipe Caicedo (33) - Not a lot of games last season but scoring well in Serie A before that.
Sofiane Feghouli (32) - Playing regularly in Turkey with Galatasaray.
Gastón Ramírez (31) - Barely played last season in Serie B - not sure why. Would probably rip the place up.
Kalifa Coulibaly (30)- Still playing for Mali and would probably want to stay in europe to remain in the picture for AFCON 2023
Cristian Tello (30) - Playing regularly in La Liga. Presumably would get another contract in a big 5 league easily enough.
Ishak Belfodil (30) - A couple of poor years after one good one. But in the Bundesliga playing regularly.
Looking at younger strikers who’ve had a hard time but have plenty of ability:
Yaya Sanogo - Hasn’t had a club for the last year. Was training with Toulouse but they didn’t sign him. A risk but I’d say a pretty decent candidate.
Saido Berahino (28)- 8 goals 4 assists last year in League One after a few barren years. Surely a good candidate.
No interest in grobari dogs
On the we pulled out- we probably put in our best offer and his team countered with something incredibly out of our capabilities so we moved on. For reference, Romano talks of him rejecting a €2.5m salary net offer from Napoli which works out to be around AUD$3.7mil (We signed Del Piero for AUD$2mil a season). Also Mertens is getting linked to Marseille, Getafe and Galatasary so theres enough interest to drive his price up.
we’ve missed out on Lewandowski
Fold.
The.
Club.
The exchange rate at the time made that much more attractive than it does today.
But our tax rates (particularly for higher income earners) are going to drop soon. I recall the comments in the past relating to our high taxation rates meaning less in the pocket for overseas recruits. This was a disincentive.
The improvement in that regard for high income earners might offset concerns about the exchange rate.
