‘After I heard the name… I had 150% interest’: Arabuli thriving under ‘legend of football’ Yorke

As part of a KEEPUP special ahead of this weekend’s clash between Macarthur and Newcastle Jets – where multiple Georgians will go head-to-head for the first time in an Isuzu UTE A-League fixture – Bachana Arabuli reflected on how playing under Dwight Yorke proved to be the catalyst for his move to Australia.

In the off-season, Georgian striker Bachana Arabuli had a decision to make.

After a couple of seasons plying his trade for Greek side Lamia, Arabuli was gauging interest about his next-move.

One of the sides that remerged were Macarthur who signalled their intent to bring the Georgian striker down under as they looked to revamp an attack which sorely lacked a consistent number nine since the departure of Matt Derbyshire at the end of their inaugural season.

Arabuli was initially leaning more towards a ‘maybe’, knowing a bit about Australia and the Isuzu UTE A-League due to his relationship with former team-mate and Newcastle Jets striker Beka Mikeltadze.

But uncertainty soon turned to certainty, after hearing who he would be playing under in Dwight Yorke – who he grew up watching play for during his stint at his favourite club Manchester United.

“I’ll go back to the time when I was talking with Macarthur FC. When I heard (for the) first time of the club and the country in Australia, I didn’t know a lot of things I just knew that Beka (Mikeltadze) was playing here and followed little bit… through his calls and stuff,” Arabuli told KEEPUP.

“But after I heard the name, who was coaching the club and who was the name I had, like, from maybe 50 per-cent interest. I had like 150 per-cent interest because when I heard a name like this, and who especially was a striker. I was like so excited to work with him.

I can learn a lot of things every day I’m learning from him, as a person, as a coach and as a person because he was a striker also. And yeah, he had the big impact for me to this to decide to come here.

“Obviously, he was one of the best strikers in his time and he was playing in my favourite team when I was young, and after I had the first chat with him. I spoke with my brother because he was also a fan of football… and I was just like ‘I was picking Dwight Yorke’ who’s a legend of football and Man United.”

Arabuli has made a splash since arriving in Campbelltown, scoring three goals in five games – including a brace in their 3-0 win over cross-town rivals Sydney FC on Christmas Eve.

Thus far, it seems as if Arabuli has provided an answer to their short-comings at the pointy-end of attack – making the most of the service from their truck-load of classy wingers and attacking midfielders around him such as Ulises Davila, Craig Noone, Danny De Silva, Daniel Arzani and Al Hassan Toure.

And the 29-year-old can’t speak any higher of his short-time at the Bulls so far.

“I feel very good,” Arabuli said.

“I’ve never felt so good in a short time in any other countries because the club is helping me from the first day. I had a hard time from the start because I wasn’t prepared after I got a little injured, I was late in preparation period.

“But what I feel from the club, especially from the people in the club, the coaching staff, the CEO, the managers and all the club just always helped me and it was easy to live in Sydney because of that part.

“And also the other things in the city, is a good country. I live in Sydney, close to the beach I feel so good, relaxed and nothing but to have full focus on football and have a good season with the club, personally… I can say only the positive words for Australia and Australian people.”

But before Arabuli arrived down-under, his former partner in crime at Dinamo Tbilisi, Mikeltadze had already made quite the impact in his first season at the Jets – scoring 13 goals in 24 games and finishing equal-second with Western United’s Aleksandar Prijovic in the Golden Boot standings.

And his impact wasn’t just felt here in Australia, but back in his native Georgia, where people stood up – including Arabuli – and took notice of his sensational first campaign.

“It was big impact, what he did last year,” Arabuli said.

“Not only for me for Georgian people because we are small country no-one is watching because we don’t have so many stars in the in world football so no one’s watching very carefully our players and when Beka had the impact, everyone started going ‘wow, in this country maybe we can find good players’.

And after someone contacted Beka, he just said good words for me… When I came here I realised more, he’s already a big name in the A-League. Everyone respects him and even in the other clubs, other people know him and he had a big impact not only for me, but for all of Georgian football.”

This Sunday, Arabuli comes up against his former team-mate in Mikeltadze and his Georgian team-mate Beka Dartsmelia – making it the first time Georgians will go head-to-head in the Isuzu UTE A-League.

“I think we are proud, Beka (Mikeltadze) is proud, I am sure because he came first here (Australia),” Arabuli said when asked if he’s proud to play in the first game with multiple Georgians going head-to-head in the competition.

“After me and then another Beka (Dartsmelia) came here I think we have already shown the people Georgian players can have a good impact in this country and we are good.

“I’m so happy, I’m so excited to play against (him). Of course, I cannot wish him luck for the next weekend. But in general, I just wish him and the other Beka a good season, good games, many goals, many good performances.”