Alessandro Diamanti has arrived in Melbourne and is set to officially sign with A-League newcomers Western United.
The signing means that Western United are one step closer to a full squad, while the Italian international will bring a wealth of experience and pedigree to his new club and the A-League.
Diamanti joins the likes of Panagotis Kone, Ersan Gulum and Scott McDonald, who are just a few in the squad with significant international experience.
The 36-year-old has played against Australian opposition before: while he was a member of Guangzhou Evergrande, he featured against Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney Wanderers in the Asian Champions League.
With Mark Rudan at the helm, an exciting debut season is expected.
Over the course of the off-season, Rudan has brought along a handful of players from his old side Wellington Phoenix, who well exceeded expectations despite a poor showing in the finals.
Former Phoenix captain Andrew Durante is one that made the move over to Victoria, while goalkeeper Filip Kurto and midfielder Max Burgess have also joined from Rudan’s former side.
While their squad has almost taken shape, it is becoming clearer about where the club will play their homes games while their proposed stadium is being built.
Geelong’s GMHBA Stadium is one that will host a number of Western United matches, however the club will also base itself at Mars Stadium in Ballarat. Reports have also suggested that Western United will play some home matches in Tasmania.
While they will not feature in this season’s FFA Cup, Western United will likely play some pre-season fixtures in the next two months, which will give their fans the opportunity to see how the team is progressing.
Despite the A-League fixture still not being released yet, Western United will begin their regular season in October and there may possibly be a few more signings to come.
