Perth Glory facing crucial off-season, as ownership speculation lingers amid three-year finals hiatus

From the start of this season, Perth Glory coach Ruben Zadkovich repeatedly stressed the club was in a rebuild and would need a few transfer windows to right the ship. Last season, it was a case of the orchestra playing as the Titanic sank - this season, the lifeboats were deployed, but it is not exactly smooth sailing from here on. This off-season promises to be the most intriguing for the Glory in some time and the clock is ticking for a course to safer seas. Finals should be the bare minimum next season and given Zadkovich’s two-year deal expires at the end of next season, his seat will be feeling warm. There were positives this season, highlighted by just two losses at home in 13 games, the unearthing of a bona fide young star in Keegan Jelacic and bringing home star striker Adam Taggart for his third stint at the club. The bulk of the squad from this season are under contract not just for next season, but beyond - including Jelacic, captain Mustafa Amini, Irish midfielder Aaron McEneff, exciting wingers Salim Khelifi and Ryan Williams and Taggart. Wing-back Jack Clisby and veteran forward David Williams are the biggest names off contract, while youngsters Adam Zimarino and Jacob Muir should be retained. Zadkovich has been vocal throughout the season about the need for more depth and will likely be as active as the company bank account allows him to be in the transfer market. Perth were right in the finals hunt up until the final game, but finished closer to the bottom of the table (three points) than the finals (six points), kept alive by a dearth of mid-table mediocrity and a system which guarantees half the league post-season action. The Glory’s miserable away form ultimately cost them a top-six berth as they won just once outside of Macedonia Park and HBF Park. They finished with the equal third-worst defensive record in the league and were just two goals off the worst, a figure which ballooned out thanks to conceding back-to-back four goal games with their season on the line. No Perth player scored more than five goals this season and their expected goals (a metric with measures the cumulative quality of goalscoring chances) was the worst in the league for the second year running. Chance creation was mostly long, hopeful balls in behind the defence and crosses into the box and while they worked sometimes, teams cottoned onto the idea and Perth often looked most threatening when they were desperately trying to get back into games. Off-field, chairman and owner Tony Sage appears to have found a serious, interested party to acquire a sizable stake in the club and assume control of the licence. If a sale finally comes to fruition, there will be talk about off-season signings, Zadkovich’s future, and the long-term sustainability of the club, and any new owner will want their new club to compete. Regardless of whether Sage sells up, the reality is the 2019-20 Premier’s Plate is the only silverware to the club’s name in the A-League Men era, their NSL trophies increasingly a remnant of a bygone era. Six months is a long time in sport and certainly long enough to strengthen the squad, find new strengths, minimise weaknesses and correct your course. With Zadkovich at the helm next season, pressure will be on to show more tangible progress, because the club cannot afford to keep treading water.