Mitchell Duke

[SBW]

Arnie will make sure he gets injured

[MathyouWSW]

Would love to see him put one behind the net against Jordan. Plus, we got the bye. This is perfect.

[pseudonym]

Confirmed departure

[Unlimited]

9 minutes ago, pseudonym said:

Confirmed departure

****

[Davo]

I like how the club feel the need to tell us how big their offer was to keep him. We’re never going to compete financially with the Middle Eastern clubs and I wouldn’t be surprised if money was only part of the reason, with the rest being how much of a shambles the club has become.

Edited August 20, 2020 by Davo

[Edinburgh]

 

[MistahCampoy]

A few million bucks for 2 seasons, he mentioned money was the deciding factor to set his family up after football. You cant say no to that and i don't blame him. 

He will be missing sorely wish you all the best at Al-Taawoun and are welcome back anytime.

[WHACKO]

Get the money up front.

[Davo]

Bandaged up and with blood running down his face he beats his marker (who's also bandaged up so it looks like it's been a running battle) and scores a header for an 85th minute winner in the Champions League.

Please come back you magnificent bastard.

[WSWJACK]

Outstanding effort, we were graced to have him last season, wish he had a shot in a top euro league with a big team though.....

[MartinTyler]

2 hours ago, WSWJACK said:

Outstanding effort, we were graced to have him last season, wish he had a shot in a top euro league with a big team though.....

Yeah he'd be a benchie if lucky or loaned out to someone like Bolton.

[Davo]

49 minutes ago, MartinTyler said:

Yeah he'd be a benchie if lucky or loaned out to someone like Bolton.

They way things have been going lately he's probably more likely to get paid in the A-League than at Bolton.

[Burgerman]

Gee already showing why we shouldn't of let him go, captain material and a true goer not as talented as some but a long term contract was worthy. 

[WHACKO]

A million a season, a bit out of our reach.

[MistahCampoy]

Yeah between 15-20k p/w isnt something we could have come close to paying him next season especially not knowing what that looks like yet, though we received nothing off his transfer. = (

[StringerBellend]

4 hours ago, MistahCampoy said:

Yeah between 15-20k p/w isnt something we could have come close to paying him next season especially not knowing what that looks like yet, though we received nothing off his transfer. = (

We paid a random Italian that to sit in the stands but yes

[MistahCampoy]

True... The floppy Italian

[MathyouWSW]

His wife (Charlotte) gave birth to their second child while in England. It's a girl, Chloe:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKW6c_xjx_S/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

 

Edited January 24 by MathyouWSW

[mack]

Returned.

[tranquilo]

its great News we got Duke back, the only thing we were missing in this squad is a top striker and aerial threat with Duke was well known for. Shame his stint in Saudi Arabia didn't last too long but works out well for us!

 

[Paul01]

3 hours ago, mack said:

Returned.

On loan

[MathyouWSW]

Scheduled to arrive home tomorrow night.

[sonar]

 

[sonar]

 

[THEWANDERERSPOST]

Mitch Duke is agonising at the thought of abandoning Western Sydney Wanderers during the A-League finals if he wins a Socceroos recall for their World Cup qualifying hub in June, saying players shouldn’t be forced to pick between club and country.

Duke, who captained the Wanderers last season, is relishing his return to the club on loan from Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Taawoun, having scored four goals in six appearances - including a brace against Perth Glory on Friday night.

But the 30-year-old is wary of an impending scheduling clash, with the A-League finals set to be run at the same time as the Australian national team returns from an 18-month hiatus.

The Socceroos are due to complete the second round of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, with their final four games in Group B to be played in a hub in Kuwait.

The A-League is not observing FIFA international breaks this season, due to the terms of its renegotiated broadcasting deal with Fox Sports and also the logistical challenges relating to the pandemic - meaning clubs could have their best players taken away at the most important part of the campaign.

Socceroos coach Graham Arnold has already signalled his intent to select an enlarged 34-man squad for the fixtures against Kuwait, Chinese Taipei, Nepal and Jordan - which will all be played within a 12-day span in the peak of the Middle Eastern summer, with temperatures in Kuwait in June averaging between 33 and 40 degrees.

Duke is hopeful of earning a national team recall and adding to his six Socceroos caps, but doesn’t want it to come at the expense of an A-League championship bid with his hometown club.

“You don’t ever want to be in that position,” he told the Herald. “Unfortunately if that’s going to be the case, that’s just how things have played out, accepting everything that’s happened over the last year in the world.

“I’d think 99 per cent of players are choosing national team because I feel like there’s no greater honour. I can’t see any player saying no to the national team ... you want to represent your country as many times as you can during your career.

“But then again if that’s going to play a part in you missing finals football, it’ll be very bittersweet, and if that was to affect your chances of winning a title or lifting a trophy, those are things you also look back on in your career, and what you do all that season’s hard work for. To not be able to do that last section ... it’s rough, mate.”

Sources familiar with the Australian Professional Leagues’ broadcast plans have confirmed that as part of the A-League’s next TV deal - which could be wrapped up in the next month - breaks in the season schedule for international windows are a near-certainty to return, which would bring Australia back in line with every other major competition in the world.

But that comes as cold comfort to Duke and players like him around the A-League - like Sydney FC defender Rhyan Grant, and Melbourne City trio Jamie Maclaren, Andrew Nabbout and Curtis Good - who could find themselves trapped between a rock and a hard place before then.

“You don’t want to be the minority in these situations - you want to be following suit with the best leagues in the world,” Duke said.

“International breaks are just good in general for clubs to regroup, if they’re struggling throughout the season. It’s always good for clubs to have players go off for international duty because it looks good on the club as well. There’s so many benefits.

“At the moment you have to choose in Australia ... it shouldn’t even be a discussion.”

Duke left the Wanderers in August last year, signing for Al-Taawoun when the future of the A-League and many clubs was in limbo because of the pandemic’s financial implications.

But he secured a loan move back to the club in February after growing frustrated with his role at the Saudi team, where he was being used as a winger instead of a striker.

Duke said he has been pleasantly surprised by the standard of the domestic competition this season, describing it as “entertainment value 100”, while he is also excited about how the Wanderers - who sit second on the ladder - are trending under coach Carl Robinson.

But Duke is contracted with Al-Taawoun until June 2022 and is unsure of what his future holds, especially with a new coaching staff in place at the club and no real certainty again over what the A-League will look like moving forward.

“It’s a tough one,” he said. “At the moment it’s that 50-50 chance of what’s going to be happening. Me doing well here will help open up other possibilities, but they have the final say. It’s going to be a massive discussion after this season’s finished to see which way I go.

“I wasn’t happy there, which is why I wanted to get out to come back here, and I wanted to prove a point to them, because they didn’t play me as a striker. I feel like I’m starting to do that and I’m hungry for more. I want to put myself out there - I am a striker, I’m not any other position, and that’s where you play me if you take me.”

[theguyyouwishyouwere]

he won't play for the socceroos again

[MartinTyler]

55 minutes ago, theguyyouwishyouwere said:

he won't play for the socceroos again

Quite possibly, but I wouldn't put it past Arnie to pick him in his extended squad yet not play him in the qualifiers.....ditto Ibini

[Edinburgh]

2 hours ago, MartinTyler said:

Quite possibly, but I wouldn't put it past Arnie to pick him in his extended squad yet not play him in the qualifiers.....ditto Ibini

With a squad of 30 outfield players that possibility increases 

[Westiesarebesties]

Sounds like he is still looking to find a higher level contact for next season again.

[Paul01]

2 hours ago, Westiesarebesties said:

Sounds like he is still looking to find a higher level contact for next season again.

We have only got him on loan at the moment