<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">A-League champion Melbourne Victory look set to sign one of Australia's most promising talents from one of Europe's biggest clubs on a loan deal. Teenage midfielder Kaz Patafta, who has spent the past 18 months at Portuguese giant Benfica, is expected to head back to Australia to join Victory for the upcoming season. Patafta, 18, captained Australia's under-17 side at the 2005 world championships and was a training partner with Australia's World Cup squad last year. Victory declined to comment on whether the club had signed Patafta. But Portuguese newspaper Record and Portuguese television today quoted Benfica as saying it had agreed a ?50,000 ($75,000) loan deal with Victory for Patafta. A diminutive attacking midfielder who stands around 170cm, Patafta would add to the Victory's impressive list of off-season signings including Costa Rica international Carlos Hernandez and Socceroos centre-back Ljubo Milicevic. Originally from Canberra, Patafta is an Australian Institute of Sport graduate but was overlooked by A-League clubs in the lead-up to the first season of the competition. Instead he ended up securing a dream move to Benfica, playing mainly youth team football this season for a club which took part in the European Champions League and finished third in the Portuguese Liga. Patafta first came to prominence when he caught the eye of then-Socceroos coach Guus Hiddink with his national under-17 team performances. Hiddink selected him as a training partner for the senior side ahead of both the World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in late 2005, and in both Holland and Germany ahead of last year's World Cup finals. So impressed was Hiddink that the youngster was linked with a move to Hiddink's Dutch club PSV Eindhoven before the coach quit to take up full-time coaching duties with Russia. Victory is expected to enter the A-League season with a 21-man roster, leaving them just three more vacancies in its squad. Victory coach Ernie Merrick has confirmed the club wants an experienced back-up striker to cover for Socceroos Archie Thompson and Danny Allsopp, as well as two more younger players to round out the squad. </div> Good to see an Aussie getting loaned back here instead of some lower league in Europe. He's a good player and when he gets back to Benfica hopefully he can break into their squad and then star for Australia .
Thats great to see a quality aussie footballer comng back to his routes...hope he gets good enough to go back to Benfica
lets hope not or else the season will be as shit as it was last year...i mean 6-0 in the final....thats terrible.
Last season was excellent. So many exciting games and great crowds to go with it. Remember the 3-3 draw at the Telstra Dome? I was devastated for the whole second half but then when Allsopp scored to level it up I was ecstatic. Victory definitely have the chance to be better than last season but it's going to be even harder to fit all these players in.
last season had some quality games but the grand final was extremely disappointing. hopefully another club will step up to the plate. mayb even queensland roar!
LOL Queensland have no chance. They're a slow team and the only highlight of their season was that volley from Matt McKay.
<div class="quote_poster">twofivefive Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">LOL Queensland have no chance. They're a slow team and the only highlight of their season was that volley from Matt McKay.</div> True and especially now becuase we have lost our star player Dario Vidosic to Nuremburg FC. great buy from them...he is a fantastic player...great vision and control, can finish the ball, beat a man and good passer of the ball. personally i think Farina is a joke...failed for strikers, failed for australia and is about to fail for the roar...i think
<div class="quote_poster">Evans09 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">True and especially now becuase we have lost our star player Dario Vidosic to Nuremburg FC. great buy from them...he is a fantastic player...great vision and control, can finish the ball, beat a man and good passer of the ball. personally i think Farina is a joke...failed for strikers, failed for australia and is about to fail for the roar...i think</div> Are you kidding? Farina had a great end of seasn for Roar. And Evo, I see you are doubting the Roar. Also poor form. Farina is the perfect man for the job and next season the Roar will put up a fight for the title.
[quote name='Hutcho;30245']Are you kidding? Farina had a great end of seasn for Roar. And Evo, I see you are doubting the Roar. Also poor form. Farina is the perfect man for the job and next season the Roar will put up a fight for the title.[/QU We definetly have a great chance to win...i agree. Can't wait till the games begin at Suncorp the greatest stadium in australia!
