Central Coast Mariners WON'T stand of the way of Hearts target Sammy Silvera if he wants to leave for the UK or Asia.
The Jambos have already had an offer for the 22-year-old turned down by the Aussie club as they look to strengthen their ranks ahead of the new campaign. The capital club are back in pre-season as they prepare for their Europa Conference League qualifying bid and a return to the domestic action in the first week of August.
The Gorgie side have a strong Socceroos connection in their squad with Kye Rowles, Nathaniel Atkinson and Cammy Devlin all on the books. Garang Kuol also spent time on loan north of the border last season following his move to Newcastle United in the English Premier League. Owner Richard Peil is yet to have his price tag met but really feels his man would benefit of one further year in the A-League playing regularly.
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There has been several concrete offers to go along with the interest to date and if Hearts are to land their man they will need to up the ante.
Peil told FTBL: “There has been a lot of interest in Sammy – and justifiably so – from multiple clubs in both the UK and Asia. There have been several concrete offers to go along with that but nothing has been decided yet.
“Personal success gets players noticed and Sammy deserves the attention, and as a club we’re not surprised either. His class was there for all to see at the back end of the season, and of course in the grand final, and it’s no shock that the phone has been ringing off the hook to ask about him.
“We are not in the business of standing in the way of players if they really want to go elsewhere to help their career. However, I genuinely feel Sammy would benefit greatly from another year in the A-League.
“There’s a fine line there sometimes. He’s been overseas before and returned home to kick start things again. He knows he’s going to play regularly here where he would benefit greatly from another year under the guidance of Monty (Nick Montgomery) and Serg (Sérgio Raimundo).”
He added: “He wants to be a part of the Socceroos and I’d imagine he’s pretty close to realising that dream,” he said.
“But to do that it’s crucial to be playing each week. The thing about going overseas is that there is always the risk of perhaps spending more time on the bench than in the starting line up - and that’s where timing and finding the right club becomes crucial.
“I personally feel Sammy will be better placed to get that national team breakthrough if he remains with us for another season.”
