Oriol Riera, Alex Baumjohann among 11 players in Western Sydney Wanderers clear out

Football
Victory centre-back James Donachie speaks on the intensity and energy around their elimination final against the Phoenix.

Western Sydney have become the second A-League club this week to undergo a clear out, with 11 players departing the Wanderers.

The Wanderers confirmed on Friday several players including Socceroo Josh Risdon, Spanish forward Oriol Riera, Dutch midfielder Roly Bonevacia and German marquee Alex Baumjohann had all been let go after their contracts expired.

It’s the second cull in a week after Brisbane released 11 players on Tuesday in addition to the already announced departures of retiring captain Matt McKay, veteran Brazilian Henrique and Denmark international Thomas Kristensen.

Several of the departures from the Wanderers had already been flagged.

ESPN’s A-League Team of the Year
– Jukic: Can the Phoenix expose Victory’s soft underbelly?

Risdon announced in February he was joining new franchise Western United on a two-year deal while Wanderers coach Markus Babbel said Riera and Baumjohann wouldn’t stay at the club following last weekend’s 1-0 loss to Melbourne Victory.

That defeat completed an underwhelming season where the Wanderers finished eighth in the 10-team competition, 16 points outside the finals positions.

Riera departs having scored 29 goals in 56 appearances across two seasons in Red and Black.

Academy products Jaushua Sotirio and Abraham Majok have also been released.

Veteran forward Mark Bridge announced his retirement earlier in the season.

Coming in is ex-Newcastle Jet Daniel Georgievski, who has signed a two-year deal with the Wanderers.

Comments

Use a Facebook account to add a comment, subject to Facebook’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, photo & other personal information you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment, and may be used on ESPN’s media platforms. Learn more.

Products You May Like

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *