He would be a target I would consider for sure.
One thing that I think we have to be mindful in going after these coaches is this:
Ernie Merrick was a successful caoch at Melbourne and showing the same at the Jets. He was less successful at the Phoenix. Seeing how good he is, why would a coach of any note want to touch the job when they consider how a good coach previously went.
I've been thinking about this too and I'm sorry that you're tired of hearing about it, because here I am about to post some more about it (sorry!)
At Melbourne, Merrick played high and narrow, at Newcastle he plays high and narrow. At the Phoenix he started playing high and narrow, but found himself frequently burned with Sigmund and Durante lacking the required pace to play a high line. He publicly stated he wanted to play high but couldn't, so the Phoenix became deep and narrow.
https://www.a-league.com.au/match/wellington-phoen...
Wingers were frequently used at the Phoenix; often the front 2 were set up as wingers. Wing backs were prominent at Melbourne.
Narrow does not mean that players do not frequently play in wide spaces. In fact narrow formations are effective for overlapping into wide areas. Conversely, some coaches will open the field up to play down the middle.