It seems the Greek society at Western United is set to go up by one.
As a credible source told Neos Kosmos, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos will most likely be joining Panagiotis Kone at the newly established club, in an attempt to find more game time.
The 19-year-old hasn’t been given a lot of chances by his coach at Adelaide United, Marko Kurz and will be hoping this move will be a step up for his career.
Stamatelopoulos counts just 12 appearances and two goals this season.
The prospect of the new club, but also the opportunity to play next to a marquee player such as Kone, appeared too good to pass up by the talented winger, who, if all comes to pass, will join Kone and Josh Risdon in becoming the third signing of Western United.
Stamatelopoulos also has four appearances for the under-20 Australia team, and he is also eligible to play for the Greek national team should he wish to do so.
According to the same sources, the Greek presence at the new Melbourne club will not be limited to just Stamatelopoulos and Kone.
Meanwhile, the higher-ups at United have been scouring the market in search of a reliable manager and so far, the one to stand out has been Mark Rudan.
Despite the excellent season he has been having with the Wellington Phoenix, the Croatian-origin coach has stated that it is difficult for him to work so far away from his family, which is the reason why he hasn’t accepted the offer to extend the contract given to him by the New Zealand club.
The Phoenix have been playing great football under Rudan, claiming some good results in the A-League, including a 1-3 shocking away win against Sydney FC and a 3-3 draw at AAMI Park in their clash with champions Melbourne Victory.
His abilities inside the locker rooms and keen strategic eye are what made Rudan the number one choice for the Western United bench, with the club owners already offering him a deal that is highly appealing.
Other candidates that were considered for the position, but their cases didn’t go through for one reason or another, were those of Gianfranco Zola, Arsene Wenger and former Brisbane Roar assistant manager Ross Aloisi.