Australia News'Glory Need Laza' - Djulbic |
EXCLUSIVE: Perth Glory defender Dino Djulbic says Stan Lazaridis has plenty to offer and hopes Glory offer the former Socceroo star another contract next season.
Djulbic, 25, a revelation last year in a disappointing Glory campaign, tells au.fourfourtwo.com that Lazaridis’s experience will be vital as the side looks to rebuild after a disastrous three seasons in the A-League.“He’s got to get a contract first, which I really hope he does," he said. "He’s a great guy on and off the pitch. I think it would be wrong if we don’t sign him.
“And I think he’s still got another year in him. I’m hoping so. He was a great help to me when I came to the club. I learned a lot. I’m just hoping he’s going to be playing another year.”
Lazaridis – now 35 - arrived as a marquee player two season ago after a stellar career at West Ham and Birmingham City as well as the Socceroos. It was thought he would lead the team to its first finals campaign.
But it all went pear-shaped a year after he signed on a lucrative two-year deal after a positive test for masking agent finasteride - which he was taking as treatment for hair loss.
Lazaridis has reportedly stated he wants to continue with Glory saying he has a point to prove. But questions over his fitness and the gruelling travel schedule that Perth must endure have raised doubts over the former West Adelaide flyer's ability in the increasingly physical A-League.
It's been claimed Laza may be willing to take a pay cut to drop within the salary cap for next season in return for a new deal with reduced training requirements and the option not to travel for two or three away games.
Lazaridis’s return last season was low-key, but Djulbic sees hope: “You could tell the last couple of games he played it was good enough. Especially against Adelaide when he ran past a player to set up a goal as if he was 25.
“It was hard, he didn’t play for a year. So I think he did very well. You can’t buy the experience he has. I don’t anyone else has the same experience in the team. And our squad is fairly young.”
Meanwhile, fellow Glory defender Jamie Harnwell’s three-month stint with Swiss second division club Vaduz appears to be going well despite the cold weather.
“The club has excellent facilities at the stadium where there is an administration area, a restaurant, the main pitch, two training pitches and an all-weather pitch,” he told the club’s website.
Vaduz, based in Liechenstein, is in top spot in the Swiss second tier competition and is poised to be promoted to the Swiss Super League.
“We had to use the all-weather training field a couple of weeks ago when we experienced a large amount of unseasonal snowfall, so it has definitely been a bit different from home,” added Harnwell.
Have YOUR say - What do you think about "'Glory Need Laza' - Djulbic "? Tell us NOW in the comment section below.
In this issue, we discuss arguably the most important player on the pitch, Strikers. What makes them tick?
We talk to Premier League hot-shots Wayne Rooney and Fernando Torres, Socceroos’ frontmen Harry Kewell and Josh Kennedy, as well last season’s Bundesliga top scorer Grafite and Man United legend Andy Cole.
We talk to Premier League hot-shots Wayne Rooney and Fernando Torres, Socceroos’ frontmen Harry Kewell and Josh Kennedy, as well last season’s Bundesliga top scorer Grafite and Man United legend Andy Cole.
Have you got a scoop? Tell us about it and you could be the first to break the news on FourFourTwo.
