Melbourne Victory head coach Arthur Diles has revealed the club is currently in talks with Socceroos defender Milos Degenek over a potential move to the club.
Officially a free agent after leaving Serbian side Red Star at the beginning of January, Degenek reportedly has several clubs lining up to secure his signature – one of which is now confirmed as being Melbourne Victory.
“I won’t lie, that’s a player that was mentioned, but, yeah, I’m sure there’s a lot of clubs chasing Milos, but there’s a lot of other players that we’re looking at as well, because we know that you can’t put all your eggs in one basket.
“If that falls through then you’re left in a position where now you’re reacting. So we’re trying to be as proactive as possible in this market, in this window, and we have a number of options that we’re looking at, and hopefully in the coming days, one of those can be put to bed.”
The club is currently in the market for a right-sided defender following the departure of Socceroos defender Jason Geria, who officially joined J1 League side Albirex Niigata earlier this month.
“We’re looking all over, definitely,” said Diles when asked whether or not the club is looking to strengthen more than just the defence.
“So we’re looking at them as well, and between both options, I hope in the next week that there’s clarity and news to talk about.”
Diles’ side head into their Friday night Big Blue clash with Sydney FC yet to taste victory under his stewardship, with their most recent result being a 3-2 loss to Adelaide United in the Original Rivalry.
Despite the fact they’ve lost three of his first six games in charge though Diles believes there are positives to take from their recent winless run.
“Every game is a must win game. We don’t hide behind that fact, and we’re disappointed with with results,” said Diles when speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of the home clash with Sydney FC.
“Absolutely, we’re not happy with that, but we’re progressing as a team. We’re playing good football. You know, we’re always in a position in each match where we can take out the points, and at the moment, it hasn’t landed.
“But that doesn’t stop the belief that we have in this group. They’re definitely not short of confidence. They’re together, and tomorrow night, they’ll be turning up and doing everything they can to to get not only a performance over the line, but the points as well.
“We’re looking forward to being in front of our home fans again, and something that we always appreciate and adore and we’re looking forward to tomorrow.”
