Perth Glory CEO Anthony Radich spoke to KEEPUP to provide an update on squad news, the club’s search for a head coach and new investment ahead of a pre-season friendly against West Ham United at Optus Stadium and an Australia Cup playoff against Macarthur.
The managerial hunt continues in the West.
It’s been one month since Ruben Zadkovich’s surprise departure as Perth Glory head coach, and the Western Australian outfit is yet to announce his permanent replacement as the club approaches a key moment in its pre-season.
The Glory squad reconvened earlier than most around the Isuzu UTE A-League in preparation for a pair of fixtures: a friendly against Premier League outfit West Ham United at Optus Stadium on July 15, before a trip to Darwin to face Macarthur FC in the Australia Cup playoffs just three days later.
The two fixtures will take place under the guidance of an interim head coach, against the backdrop of ownership uncertainty defining an offseason of upheaval at a club that has endured what chief executive Anthony Radich can only describe as a “tumultuous few years” stretching back to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Radich spoke to KEEPUP ahead of welcoming West Ham to Perth to provide an update on the club’s head coach hunt and pursuit of new owners.
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A familiar face set to steady the ship
Former Perth Glory head coach Kenny Lowe will return to the role on an interim basis to take charge against both West Ham and Macarthur, Radich confirmed.
Lowe is the academy director at the club and although his passion lies with developing the next generation of Glory stars, Radich said Lowe was happy to step into the position in the interim as the club continued its search for a permanent leader.
“With the advent of both games, it meant the squad was back sooner than it might normally be – but they’ve come back, and it’s a change in environment,” said Radich.
“We’ve got Kenny Lowe in the interim capacity as coach. Kenny is a very effervescent person, a very positive person and I think the players have enjoyed the experience of working under him for the last few weeks.
“He’s our academy director. His heart is really centred on developing youth and trying to get the best out of our academies, but given where we’re at he’s put his hand up. That’s the sort of person he is, a high-quality person who wants the best for the club. He said: ‘Whatever I can do Anthony to help in this interim period, I’m happy to do’.
“It’s great to have someone of his ilk at our disposal. In this little period here, we’re going to be drawing on some of the exciting young crop from our academy, and it certainly helps to have him there with his knowledge in that space.”
As for the managerial hunt, Radich told local media in June that the club was stockpiling CVs both from at home and abroad – but the hunt for the right candidate is still ongoing.
Radich says the aim is to have a permanent head coach in place from the beginning of August.
“It’s going well,” he said. “We’re probably at the final stages now trying to lock that down. I’m hopeful within the next couple of weeks we have it secured, definitely, by the end of the month fingers crossed.
“We’re on the home straight now. From August on, the hope is we have a permanent coaching appointment made, and we go forward from there.”
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The ‘unfortunate complication’ of West Ham tour and Aus Cup tie
The end of the 2022-23 season led to an exodus of squad members from the Glory squad; so far just three players have signed with the club (Oli Sail and scholarship duo Daniel Bennie and Jaylan Pearman), while 13 have headed for the exit – including young star Keegan Jelacic, experienced defender Jack Clisby as well as goalkeeper Liam Reddy.
With the club set to play two games in a matter of days, Radich has confirmed interim boss Lowe will call on several young players to plug gaps in the matchday squad – but ponders how the extended time spent with the first team might impact the club’s fortunes up and down the National Premier League age groups.
“We’ve only been back on the track for a few weeks, but the vibe is really good, really positive and upbeat – and as you would be as an aspiring footballer, and especially some of our younger guys to be able to walk out at Optus Stadium against EPL quality opposition is the stuff that dreams are made of, really,” he said.
“It’s an exciting time. It’s unfortunate that the Australia Cup game is only a few days (after the West Ham friendly). That’s a complication we wouldn’t have wanted to have in ideal circumstances, it has flow-on effect with our competitiveness in the NPL environment as well, because we’re drawing on players to extend the squad over those two games.
“Overall I think the squad is looking good, they’re just about all fit. We’ve got Oli Sail now who has come into the squad as well, we’ve signed a couple of exciting young scholarship players, who have bright futures ahead of themselves and for the club. It’s been good. It’s been a good little period having the guys back.”
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Khelifi back in selection mix, Amini in doubt with a star set to miss West Ham tour
One of the overwhelmingly positive update from Glory’s pre-season so far is the return to action of Tunisian winger Salim Khelifi, who was a revelation in his first season Down Under in 2022-23 prior to a foot injury that initially hampered, and then spoiled the back half of his campaign.
Khelifi has been a sight for sore eyes on the training track for Perth as preparations escalate for the West Ham game.
But there could be a pair of key absentees by the time the friendly kicks off at Optus Stadium, with Radich revealing Mustafa Amini is struggling with back soreness, and Ryan Williams is “unlikely to take part at this stage.”
The hunt for investment rolls on
Radich admits it is hard to say how close the club is to concluding its search for new investors as a potential change in ownership rolls on through the off-season.
The Australian Professional Leagues (APL, publisher of this website) is supporting the club in the search for new investors. It’s a hunt that could potentially include a full transfer of ownership. The APL is working with current Glory chairman Tony Sage and prospective buyers to try and execute a deal and complete the sale.
Radich says there have been positive discussions with potential owners – but the task at hand now is to ensure the club attracts the investment necessary to become what it should be: an A-Leagues “powerhouse.”
“What’s been transpiring week to week hasn’t been a lot different,” said Radich of any ownership development in the past month.
“There has been interest from a local level, there has been some international interest, there have been some discussions that commence and don’t progress anywhere, there are others that have traction and are still in discussion. As to how close we are, it’s a little hard to say. But there have been some very positive discussions there in terms of the calibre of potential owners, and hopefully, it’s one of those parties that shows interest and provides the investment in the club.
“We’ve had a tumultuous few years, but if you step back and have a look at the club when it has had an (upward) trajectory, and what it is able to achieve, being a one-team town and what it has got on its doorstep in terms of talent, participation and love of sport – and commercially as well, with the wealth of the state – the opportunity is enormous. It really should be a powerhouse.
“It’s going to take a little while to get (the club) back on its feet, there’s no shying away from that. We just need to be hopeful we get the right people on board, and they can do the right things for us in terms of rebuilding commercially and marketing-wise, and getting ourselves back ingrained and engaged with the member base and community.
“It most certainly is a complex thing to solve – and absolutely, I would have loved for it to be solved two or three months ago.
“I think (fresh investment) will give us the impetus and optimism and hope that we’re all craving, be it members and fans but also the general community, and our staff. Having that uncertainty in the air doesn’t help, but we’re really proud of the way our staff and players have gone about it, trying to control what they can control and just trying to focus on what’s ahead for them. A lot of that stuff from an ownership, acquisition side of things is out of their control – and out of my control to a large degree as well.”
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It’s a drawn-out process that Radich says is impacting the club’s ability to recruit players.
“It’s a little bit challenging in that, obviously, you want the coach to have input there,” he said. “We’ve identified areas we’d like to improve but in terms of the type of player, the style of play etcetera you do want the influence from the head coach.
“The bulk of our squad is pretty much on multi-year contracts, that’s the benefit we have that we’ve been able to carry across a large portion of the squad from last year.
“I know we released some players recently, but a lot of those players didn’t play last year, and we had probably the biggest squad we ever had as well. The fact this squad has endured a season together should hold them all in good stead now, because there’s that chemistry there.”
West Ham clash an opportunity to inspire
For all the uncertainty regarding the club’s future, the Perth squad that convenes to take on West Ham and Macarthur will be one built from players tied to multi-year deals and academy graduates ready to carry their form in the club’s youth ranks into the first team – and that’s an exciting prospect for the club, says Radich.
The Glory chief hopes the club can put on a show “against the odds” as West Ham come to town, to both inspire the young fans in the stands at Optus Stadium, and to grow the global awareness of the club’s brand.
“Let’s be honest, we’ve been a bit in the wilderness the last couple of years,” he said. “Any opportunity to get the brand out there, and have it exposed to the general public and wider football public again, is definitely a benefit.
“Hopefully, there are some young kids out there watching that get inspired seeing their local team out there doing their best up against the odds and encourages them to try and take the next step in their journeys.”
