CENTRAL Coast Mariners are close to securing the audacious A-League return of former Sydney FC star Dwight Yorke.
Although rumours of Yorke's return have circulated for months, The Daily Telegraph can reveal the Mariners are at an advanced stage of negotiations to land the attacker as their new signing, possibly within days, on what is believed to be a minimum two-year deal.
While Yorke would technically replace Tony Vidmar as the Mariners' marquee player, he would in effect be an attacking swap for striker John Aloisi, who has signed for Yorke's former side Sydney FC.
Talks between the Mariners and Yorke's management accelerated three weeks ago, when negotiations ceased with Aloisi.
It comes as the Mariners yesterday unveiled fringe Socceroo Ahmad Elrich on a two-year deal.
Yorke, 36, has made 17 appearances for Roy Keane's Sunderland, who are just above the Premiership relegation zone.
It is believed Yorke's manager Simon Bayliff contacted Sydney FC last week, but the club were already in advanced negotiations with Aloisi, whom they signed on a $1m-plus package.
The Mariners' move for Yorke would reunite him with majority shareholder Peter Turnbull, originally an investor with Sydney FC.
Yorke's mooted wages are believed to be less than his $1m Sydney FC package in season I, when he skippered them to the A-League title - against the Mariners.
The Trinidad and Tobago attacker, who has always stated a desire to return to the A-League and pursue coaching, would likely live in Sydney.
Yorke made a massive impact on and off the field at Sydney FC, where he backed up his party-boy image with an extraordinary training work ethic. His former teammates to this day remember his pre-game and half-time speeches as inspirational. Yorke scored seven goals in 22 matches for Sydney FC.
Elrich meanwhile, who was Wellington Phoenix's marquee man last season, hopes a reunion with former mentor Lawrie McKinna will reignite his international career, which has stalled since injuring his knee while playing for the Socceroos.
The winger has signed a two-year deal with the Mariners after departing Wellington at the end of the season, admitting it was difficult to impress the Australian selectors from New Zealand.
After scoring in his first start, the 26-year-old struggled to capture the form that had him in contention and unlucky to miss out on the 2006 World Cup squad. Now he is det- ermined to push for selection with the 2010 World Cup qualifiers underway.
"It was a pretty easy decision because I've worked with Lawrie and Alex Tobin before," said Elrich, who ruptured his anterior cruciate in the Asian Cup qualifier against Kuwait in September, 2006.
"The World Cup qualifiers are a massive motivation and I know Lawrie can get me back up there to where I need to be."
Elrich is the second winger to sign with the Mariners, following Adrian Caceres (Melbourne Victory), and - along with Yorke - goes some way to replacing the departures of Aloisi, Tom Pondeljak (Melbourne) and Vidmar (retired).
MARINERS striker Sasho Petrovski last night had charges of misconduct relating to a match official, over an alleged gesture to grand final referee Mark Shield, dismissed by a disciplinary tribunal.
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23352151-5001023,00.html
This is my first post on these forums
Although rumours of Yorke's return have circulated for months, The Daily Telegraph can reveal the Mariners are at an advanced stage of negotiations to land the attacker as their new signing, possibly within days, on what is believed to be a minimum two-year deal.
While Yorke would technically replace Tony Vidmar as the Mariners' marquee player, he would in effect be an attacking swap for striker John Aloisi, who has signed for Yorke's former side Sydney FC.
Talks between the Mariners and Yorke's management accelerated three weeks ago, when negotiations ceased with Aloisi.
It comes as the Mariners yesterday unveiled fringe Socceroo Ahmad Elrich on a two-year deal.
Yorke, 36, has made 17 appearances for Roy Keane's Sunderland, who are just above the Premiership relegation zone.
It is believed Yorke's manager Simon Bayliff contacted Sydney FC last week, but the club were already in advanced negotiations with Aloisi, whom they signed on a $1m-plus package.
The Mariners' move for Yorke would reunite him with majority shareholder Peter Turnbull, originally an investor with Sydney FC.
Yorke's mooted wages are believed to be less than his $1m Sydney FC package in season I, when he skippered them to the A-League title - against the Mariners.
The Trinidad and Tobago attacker, who has always stated a desire to return to the A-League and pursue coaching, would likely live in Sydney.
Yorke made a massive impact on and off the field at Sydney FC, where he backed up his party-boy image with an extraordinary training work ethic. His former teammates to this day remember his pre-game and half-time speeches as inspirational. Yorke scored seven goals in 22 matches for Sydney FC.
Elrich meanwhile, who was Wellington Phoenix's marquee man last season, hopes a reunion with former mentor Lawrie McKinna will reignite his international career, which has stalled since injuring his knee while playing for the Socceroos.
The winger has signed a two-year deal with the Mariners after departing Wellington at the end of the season, admitting it was difficult to impress the Australian selectors from New Zealand.
After scoring in his first start, the 26-year-old struggled to capture the form that had him in contention and unlucky to miss out on the 2006 World Cup squad. Now he is det- ermined to push for selection with the 2010 World Cup qualifiers underway.
"It was a pretty easy decision because I've worked with Lawrie and Alex Tobin before," said Elrich, who ruptured his anterior cruciate in the Asian Cup qualifier against Kuwait in September, 2006.
"The World Cup qualifiers are a massive motivation and I know Lawrie can get me back up there to where I need to be."
Elrich is the second winger to sign with the Mariners, following Adrian Caceres (Melbourne Victory), and - along with Yorke - goes some way to replacing the departures of Aloisi, Tom Pondeljak (Melbourne) and Vidmar (retired).
MARINERS striker Sasho Petrovski last night had charges of misconduct relating to a match official, over an alleged gesture to grand final referee Mark Shield, dismissed by a disciplinary tribunal.
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23352151-5001023,00.html
This is my first post on these forums
