Early in December, the St George & Sutherland Shire Leader did a short piece about Nathan Elasi.
Elasi, it appears, has football in his blood. Both his father and grandfather were footballers – the latter even represented Australia.
And Nathan has been doing his family proud. A Young Socceroo by the time he was 17 and representative honours at the AIS are two tell-tale signs of a kid with a future.
At the time the article was written, Nathan had high hopes: “to get some training with A-League club Sydney FC”.
Looks like the Melbourne Victory beat Sydney to the punch.
It was just last week that Ernie Merrick announced he was in search of some more quality strikers. The need for more goal-scorers is readily apparent. If, as expected, Leandro Love is the international to be dropped from Melbourne’s 30-man Asian Champions League squad, the Victory will be left with just two strikers: Archie Thompson and Danny Allsopp.
Granted, Archie and Allsopp have been the two key strikers all season, Love having ebbed away from Merrick’s selections during the latter half of the season. But without more strikers, Merrick has no options. And, perhaps even more importantly, neither Archie nor Allsopp need fear relegation to the bench – their spots secure without competition.
Nathan Elasi offers Merrick that extra option. He’s fast – a sprinter – and naturally gifted. He also has “the build of a 25 year old” – which will help him avoid the kind of bullying Kaz Patafta received for his size.
Could he challenge for a place in the starting eleven? Yes. Absolutely. Robbie Kruse, Michael Zullo and Tahj Minniecon came into Frank Farina’s Queensland Roar and were able to displace Ante Milicic and Simon Lynch.
If Elasi proves to be as talented as those boys, Merrick will have more than just a bench player on his hands. He’ll have a striker who can put genuine pressure on Allsopp and Archie to perform.
Read more about Nathan Elasi:
- Victory Sign Up New Teen Striker, FourFourTwo, January 21, 2008
- Footy flows in his veins, St George & Sutherland Shire Leader, December 6, 2007
- Nathan Elasi profile on Melbourne Victory website.
- Signing #1: Nathan Elasi on MVFC Blog
5 comments ↓
its about time victory sign another striker…. someone that acually moves around with archie cause leandro wasn’t gonna go nothing for them…. Good Luck Nathan Score some goals!
I’ve had my doubts at first – I thought he came across as more as an athlete but the more I read about him the more I like this move.
Hears to him getting more time than what Patafta and Berger got this year! And that the latter gets more time!
Mate, this kid is an extreme talent.. Hes got it all! and at just 18. I Can see this youngster being to good for A-league after 2 seasons and playing in the premier league. Go hard son!
with this signing does it mean bye bye leandro?
Sounds promising. Once again Sydney moves too slow to recruit their own locals. I don’t think we will see Leandro in a Victory shirt again.
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