Juan Mata has arrived in the A-Leagues, and the Spanish World Cup winner’s commitment to Western Sydney Wanderers is the club’s biggest transfer splash in Isuzu UTE A-League history.
The 36-year-old attacking midfielder’s Wanderers arrival drew global attention as the club snared a member of Spain’s golden generation; winner of both the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 and a goalscorer in the Euro 2012 final, Mata has also achieved it all at club level, winning the UEFA Champions League and Europa League with Chelsea as well as FA Cup, Europa League, EFL Cup and Community Shield titles with Manchester United.
But where will the veteran Spaniard fit into Western Sydney’s starting XI? Here’s how the new Wanderers star could line up in head coach Alen Stajcic’s starting line-up…
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Goalkeeper: Lawrence Thomas
Socceroos goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas has fresh competition as Wanderers No.1 following the arrival of Jordan Holmes from Brisbane Roar, but the experienced shot-stopper is expected to spend the 2024-25 campaign as first choice.’
Left-back: Jack Clisby
Jack Clisby returned to Western Sydney for a second stint at the club last season, and the veteran full-back – who made 27 appearances in 2023-24, and 26 starts – should remain as a consistent starting option under new head coach Stajcic.
Centre-back: Alex Bonetig
It was a disappointing season overall for Western Sydney last season as Marko Rudan’s side missed out on the finals, but one big positive was the emergence of young defender Alex Bonetig.
Having featured just three times in the league prior to 2023-24, the 22-year-old made 13 starts for the Wanderers through the season and when he was on the park, forged a solid partnership with former Wanderers captain Marcelo.
Centre-back: Jeong Tae-wook
Marcelo’s exit from the club after two immense seasons as club captain was a major blow for the Wanderers – but in South Korea youth international Jeong Tae-wook, head coach Stajcic will hope to have found the right player to fill the void.
Having arrived on loan from K League 1 powerhouse Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors the 27-year-old, who stands at a towering 1.95m, is a commanding central defender with international pedigree, having captained South Korea to the 2020 AFC Under-23 Championship title.
Right-back: Aidan Simmons
After bursting onto the scene in 2022-23, Aidan Simmons navigated through an injury-impacted season last time around and now, could be set for a breakout campaign in red and black.
Simmons will contest with Gabriel Cleur for minutes on the right side of defence under Stajcic this season.
Central midfield: Oscar Priestman
Another impressive youngster in Rudan’s 2023-24 squad, 21-year-old Oscar Priestman made 25 appearances in his first Isuzu UTE A-League season and in the final round of the campaign, scored his first career goal.
Rudan often spoke about Priestman’s potential throughout his debut season and challenged the young midfielder to find the back of the net more often and should he add more goals to his game, could be a significant contributor to the Wanderers in 2024-25.
Central midfield: Josh Brillante
Josh Brillante’s first season as a Wanderer injected significant experience into the club’s engine room and with more than 300 professional appearances to his name, the former Socceroo with two Isuzu UTE A-League Premierships and Championships to his name will be of even greater importance to the club in 2024-25 after the departure of veteran Dutch midfielder Jorrit Hendrix.
Attacking midfield: Juan Mata
Spain international Juan Mata is officially among the Wanderers’ ranks for season 2024-25, and the former Chelsea and Manchester United midfielder has instantly added his world-class calibre to the Isuzu UTE A-League side.
Mata will line up in a creative midfield role for the Wanderers. If fit and firing on a consistent basis, the 36-year-old will be the glue between midfield and attack; there’s potential for Mata to create a clinical partnership with Socceroo Brandon Borrello as the two key contributors in the final third.
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Right wing: Bozhidar Kraev
Together with Jeong and Mata, Bozhidar Kraev is the Wanderers’ third top-quality off-season recruit to date. The Bulgaria international arrived from Wellington Phoenix where he scored 13 goals and supplied seven assists in 57 league appearances across the past two seasons.
Kraev was a key player in Wellington’s surge to last season’s Semi-Finals and is an exciting addition to Western Sydney’s attack.
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Striker: Brandon Borrello
Socceroo Brandon Borrello will be eager to make up for lost time in 2024-25 after a foot fracture suffered in November, 2023 severely limited his playing time last season.
Borrello signed for Western Sydney the season prior and was an instant hit as the club’s central striker – a surprise role for the typical winger who bagged 15 goals on his way to collecting the 2022-23 Alex Tobin Medal. The 29-year-old is fit once again and scoring in pre-season as he looks to put a challenging campaign behind him.
Left-wing: Nicolas Milanovic
Nicolas Milanovic cleaned up at Western Sydney’s end-of-season awards after a stellar campaign in 2023-24, earning a share of the Golden Boot alongside Lachlan Brook with nine goals and claiming the club’s Media Player of the Year and Members’ Player of the Year awards.
Brook has since departed the club for United States outfit Real Salt Lake but 22-year-old Milanovic remains; he’ll be entrusted with an important starting role in the Wanderers’ XI following his exploits last season and can only benefit from playing alongside fit-again Borrello and new signing Mata in the final third.
