Sydney FC’s top target is now former Wellington Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay, following the dismissal of Steve Corica less than a month after he led the Sky Blues to the Australia Cup championship.
After 19 years with the team as a player, captain, and head coach, Corica was relieved of his responsibilities on Tuesday, with Sydney having made the worst start to an A-League Men’s season in history.
After three games, they are bottom of the table without a goal and have yet to win a game.
“The Sydney FC board has decided to take a different approach,” stated chairman Scott Barlow in a statement.
“Over the course of our 19-year existence, Steve has been a legendary member of our team and has made an enormous impact as a coach and player.
“He is a true gentleman who has always put Sydney FC first and I would like to personally thank him for all he has done.”
Tuesday’s first-team workout was overseen by assistant David Zdrilic, but Talay is a good candidate to be in the dugout for Saturday’s trip to Adelaide.
According to sources, the team he played for and assisted as an assistant coach had already received communication from the former Phoenix mentor’s agents.
Should Talay’s bid succeed, he is anticipated to relinquish his role as Graham Arnold’s assistant for the Socceroos prior to this month’s World Cup qualifying matches against Palestine and Bangladesh.
Since leaving Wellington earlier this year and losing out on the All Whites job, Talay has not held a head coaching position.
At the Phoenix, the 47-year-old garnered praise for his astute overseas hiring and demonstrated his ability to operate on a shoestring.
At Sydney FC, he would have to take on a multitude of challenges that Corica was unable to resolve, such as replacing the goals of the late, great striker Adam Le Fondre and stepping into the leadership role left by Alex Wilkinson’s retirement.
Defender Jack Rodwell is still out due to injury, and Brazilian off-season additions Gabriel Lacerda and Fabio Gomes haven’t exactly looked quick.
The team has also attempted to reduce costs by depending more on its academy, but the transition of their young players to senior football has not been easy.
Sydney’s first three round opponents were Melbourne Victory, Brisbane Roar, and Melbourne City. Following their trip to Adelaide on Saturday, Sydney will take on the Western Sydney Wanderers.
Club managers are also worried about developing domestic talent.
During the Corica era, Marco Tilio, Cammy Devlin, and Calem Nieuwenhof all went through Sydney’s academy and excelled at rival ALM teams before being granted transfers to Europe.
Another rising star from Macarthur who has recently eluded Sydney is Jake Hollman.
Corica, the 2018 Sydney team’s replacement for Arnold, is the second coaching casualty of the year. Rado Vidosic was fired by Melbourne City last week.
Grand final victories for the 50-year-old came in 2019 and 2020, but the past two seasons have been among the hardest in Sydney’s history.
