WPM 2025/26 Squad Speculation, Confirmation and Mutual Termination

this is inevitably what happens every season, we as fans over analyse everything the club management say and do or not as the case may be. Im sure it happens I all leagues, but we have the longest off season to stew over the previous season and worry about or hype up every new signing. 
We havent and now wont see our full strength squad play for months yet, so worrying/arguing about new signings is pure speculation.

This probably isn't the clearest graphic but as Chiefy likes players that can play multiple positions we have quite a range of players being able to play in different positions so I wonder if it'll take Chiefy some time into the season to find out the best combination of players for the starting 11.

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I'm hoping that Italiano abandons the "players can play ever where" approach. I want to see the best players playing in their best positions as often as possible. Injury should be the only reason we see Payne at CB or Ishige as the front man (for example)

theprof

I'm hoping that Italiano abandons the "plyers can play ever where" approach. I want to see the best players playing in their best positions as often as possible. Injury should be the only reason we see Payne at CB or Ishige as the front man (for example)

Yeah I agree Payne is definitely best at RB/RWB but if Loke has a amazing season and is seen as undroppable I wouldn't be opposed to Payne at the RCB role if the other CB's aren't playing amazing as well. He did play some nice balls in behind in the first half against Heidelberg from that role. 

I guess it is obvious to notice 3 distinct transfer strategies- 

A)Taylor, Davila, Hemed, Ball, Wootton
Players with top level experience, maybe now in the Championship or league one. Anglo experience.

B) Zawada, Kraev, Geraldes, Josh 
Younger European who are potentially top players or nearly top players with career blockages related to injury or personal issues. Still at a good level, but maybe without game time or some other issue.

C) Ishige, Nagasawa, Eze, James
Players with potential value in upper J2, Canada, Iraq and other Asian and other sub-A league levels, who have had some experience at a higher level. 

Can see why people are underwhelmed with James & Eze on paper they’re definitely a downgrade on Wootton/Geraldes. But worth remembering Wootton himself looked like a desperate signing until he turned solid. Chiefy’s system with 3 at the back might protect them a bit too.

Rufer stays fit and Nagasawa settles, we’ll look competitive. But outside those two the depth drops off quick

I do like the balance of the front 3 options though. If Armiento and Mileusnic stay healthy, and Ishige gives us some unpredictability, that’s a genuine threat on the break. Still need someone to hit double digits in goals though. Either way, I’m holding judgment until we see them after 4–5 rounds.

wilbaker

theprof

I'm hoping that Italiano abandons the "plyers can play ever where" approach. I want to see the best players playing in their best positions as often as possible. Injury should be the only reason we see Payne at CB or Ishige as the front man (for example)

Yeah I agree Payne is definitely best at RB/RWB but if Loke has a amazing season and is seen as undroppable I wouldn't be opposed to Payne at the RCB role if the other CB's aren't playing amazing as well. He did play some nice balls in behind in the first half against Heidelberg from that role. 

that maybe true regarding Payne at RCB, but his interest levels against Heridleberg were noticeably lower than when he plays wider. That could be related to playing position or other factors but I'd rather he was at RB/RWB and Loke was at LB/LWB if he was "undroppable"

wilbaker

This probably isn't the clearest graphic but as Chiefy likes players that can play multiple positions we have quite a range of players being able to play in different positions so I wonder if it'll take Chiefy some time into the season to find out the best combination of players for the starting 11.

Screenshot 2025-08-22 at 11.49.53 AM.png 486.49 KB

With that starting line-up the bench impact and fresh legs with some quality (with my own ideas of who is and isn't deserving impact and quality status) comes from Retre, Loke and Mileusnic.  Throw in Piper as well for the fans of the big bopper. Not sensational, but not too bad. 

For injury cover, not too bad for the odd missing player.  I'm OK with the ability of the younger guys to step into a single position when needed.  But not six of them at once aka last season and this pre-season.

Plus, possibly something useful from the two further players to be recruited.

But with the obvious concerns about overall quality and where the goals are coming from.

I am still concerned how to manage players like Ishige (and Nagasawa) who get bodily pushed off the ball shoulder to shoulder.  No amount of conditioning makes up for bulk.  Can this be remedied with different ball control, using greater nimbleness of a smaller frame as an advantage.  
This is not so much a Japanese problem as a problem of "average size of player in the national league".  Sakai is built like a tank and is not pushed off by anybody easily. Yet he is quite fast on his feet, and commands the field well for A-FC.

Mainland FC

I am still concerned how to manage players like Ishige (and Nagasawa) who get bodily pushed off the ball shoulder to shoulder.  No amount of conditioning makes up for bulk.  Can this be remedied with different ball control, using greater nimbleness of a smaller frame as an advantage.  
This is not so much a Japanese problem as a problem of "average size of player in the national league".  Sakai is built like a tank and is not pushed off by anybody easily. Yet he is quite fast on his feet, and commands the field well for A-FC.

It's definitely more down to their technical skill. Theres quite a lot of Japanese midfielders/forwards doing well in the English/Scottish leagues. Davila is a good example of not having the physicality but made up for it with his close control and technique. 

wilbaker

Mainland FC

I am still concerned how to manage players like Ishige (and Nagasawa) who get bodily pushed off the ball shoulder to shoulder.  No amount of conditioning makes up for bulk.  Can this be remedied with different ball control, using greater nimbleness of a smaller frame as an advantage.  
This is not so much a Japanese problem as a problem of "average size of player in the national league".  Sakai is built like a tank and is not pushed off by anybody easily. Yet he is quite fast on his feet, and commands the field well for A-FC.

It's definitely more down to their technical skill. Theres quite a lot of Japanese midfielders/forwards doing well in the English/Scottish leagues. Davila is a good example of not having the physicality but made up for it with his close control and technique. 

Davila was very tough (plus I think refs are a bit more lenient now)

I'm confident with this squad that we can secure a top 10 finish, or in a worst case scenario, avoid relegation 

imanixsupporter

I'm confident with this squad that we can secure a top 10 finish, or in a worst case scenario, avoid relegation 

If one or two more clubs fall over before the start of the season, I might even be confident enough to chuck a fiver on it!

At least we still have the "financial viability" award!
We havent gone broke, havent been bailed out by the league, therefore we win.

I'll never say no to a moral victory

I forgot to add we've financially supported other clubs, so they owe their continued existence to us - one club has even won trophies (Jets)

theprof

At least we still have the "financial viability" award!
We havent gone broke, havent been bailed out by the league, therefore we win.

That's the REAL thing the Aussie fans will never forgive the Nix for

theprof

At least we still have the "financial viability" award!
We havent gone broke, havent been bailed out by the league, therefore we win.

we have gone broke, century city football even went bankrupt. But the team loses millions every year so I don't think you can ever call it financially viable

Nelfoos

Its not about Auckland and never will be

I mean we've literally had a forum member state he would rather the Nix beat Auckland than win a trophy.

Kind of flies in the face of your post really.

Personally I don't care what any other A-League teams do.

I'm really curious how Manjrekar James gets along at this level.

Despite the fact that the centre of defence has been Canada's weakest area for years, James hasn't been involved lately. He has one cap in seven years and that was a B international against Barbados in very early 2020. I'm not sure why he never got a proper look from John Herdman because poorer CBs certainly did.

He came up through the Sigma FC program that was run by Bobby Smyrniotis and produced a few national team players. Forge FC in the Canadian Premier League is managed by Smyrniotis now, so a number of his former youth players end up back with him when they probably could be playing at a higher level. I expected him to be a step above the league, but he wasn't. I was quite surprised that he was merely above average at that level, but then on the rare times I saw him with Alajuluense I thought he looked more like himself. Alajuluense is not only one of the big clubs in Costa Rica, they're one of the traditional powers in Central America, so that wasn't the worst landing spot. It's a better league than you would probably think and a club where anything less than a title is a failure.

James is decent on the ball and is physical and pretty good in the air. He was in and out of the team at Midtjylland, but he was pressed into duty for a Champions League group stage match against Atalanta. This was the era when Atalanta had just reached the Champions League quarter-finals and finished third in Serie A two seasons in a row. And James was up to the challenge. He was excellent and they escaped Bergamo with a 1-1 draw.

He never seemed to be able to play at that standard consistently and I gave up any hope of him putting it all together many years ago. However, hopefully he does a job for the Phoenix this season. I'm looking forward to seeing how he does.

Buffon II

Nelfoos

Its not about Auckland and never will be

I mean we've literally had a forum member state he would rather the Nix beat Auckland than win a trophy.

Kind of flies in the face of your post really.

He's entitled to his opinion. Doesnt change the fact that the Nix making signings has absolutely nothing to do with Auckland.

At this point I'd happily welcome back NZ citizen Krishna, despite his age and recent ACL injury

We do not really have a great record with second comings (we do with thirds)

Mainland FC

We do not really have a great record with second comings (we do with thirds)

Nathan Burns, come on down

immortalbird

I'm happy with signings I've seen. Eze has physicality. Mile has played in the A-league before so will know what it's about. It shows they've learned from the Ishige/Nagaswa signings - still can't believe they're both at the club tbh. 
If Mile and Armiento are wingers(?) I'd be very happy with that, I think we really struggled to get behind teams last year and it made it quite dull. The number of times we stood in YF last year watching Sutton and LKellyH combine to completely cock up a promising situation in the left corner was agonising. 

*Nagasawa

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LG

Might I suggest Cheify looks at signing Manyuak Aguek & Cian Cuba. 2 players for Avondale that look the goods up front. 

i before e, except after c

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You got the easy name wrong...

theprof

backline prety sorted now, assuming back three with Hughes and James and Sherindan, feels pretty solid - it kinda felt like Hughes needed a block of a man beside him who will sit deep and can control the ball play - like Wootton did.
James seems to fill that rile, allowing Payne to go back to RWB with Loke as his backup, I guess that means LKH is at LWB with Rufer Nagasawa, LBS, Ishige, Armiento and Eze filling the midfield and forward spots

*Sheridan

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austin111

So with Chiefy saying he will play 343 and he sees Armiento as a possible LWB then our starting 11 will prob be
                     Eze
     Ishigi                   Mileasnic
Armiento Nagasawa Rufer Payne
    Sheriden James Hughes
                   Oly
Thats quite an experianced lineup. Defense looks solid. 
Lots of ifs though. If Eze turns to gold, if Armiento and Mileasnic recover their best form, if the Japanese imports have adjusted to the rigors of the A league, if Rufer can stay fit all season then we could have an ok season.
The million dollar if is if Chiefy can meld the parts into a solid well drilled unit. Time will tell

I see I've neglected this place for way too long.
*Ishige
*Mileusnic
*Sheridan

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WELCOME BACK

The Spelling Referee

LG

Might I suggest Cheify looks at signing Manyuak Aguek & Cian Cuba. 2 players for Avondale that look the goods up front. 

i before e, except after c

images-38.jpeg 24.74 KB

You got the easy name wrong...

i before e, except after c.

Unforgivable mistake.

So we still want a left sided player (i.e. a LWB for our 3-4-3), and there has been a lot of recent chat about the Victorian NPL being so good, so we have to have tried to get Deklan Wynne over from there right? Anybody hear anything about that? 

If Matt Ellis is still training at the Nix, he seems the logical left side signing. Just surprising it's still not announced.

Think we might need to see some breakout seasons for a couple of our younger players to get anything out of this season.

LBS, GSR, Loke, Supyk perhaps. I think a lot of these guys have a lot of potential, but I worry our successes this season will hinge on whether 1 or 2 can have a Cacace/Old/Paulson etc season.

I am also very concerned where our goals are going to come from this season given Kosta has left and Piper (who did well to be fair) was our second most lethal player in front of goal.

Ninja

Think we might need to see some breakout seasons for a couple of our younger players to get anything out of this season.

LBS, GSR, Loke, Supyk perhaps. I think a lot of these guys have a lot of potential, but I worry our successes this season will hinge on whether 1 or 2 can have a Cacace/Old/Paulson etc season.

I am also very concerned where our goals are going to come from this season given Kosta has left and Piper (who did well to be fair) was our second most lethal player in front of goal.

Hughes up front 😉

coochiee

If Matt Ellis is still training at the Nix, he seems the logical left side signing. Just surprising it's still not announced.

I noticed Matt Ellis has started Auckland City's last two games. Probably means we aren't getting him I think.

Also Deklan Wynne missed his last game and went off at 36 min the game before so he is probably injured (don't think we were looking at him anyway).

Loke isn't as good at RB as Sheridan yet alone Payne. GSR & Supyk have shown nothing in preseason. I'll admit LBS has shown flashes late last season and in preseason but he is still far from the finished article and shouldn't need to be relied on to start regularly. I don't think these kids are going to save us unfortunately. 

Ninja

Think we might need to see some breakout seasons for a couple of our younger players to get anything out of this season.

LBS, GSR, Loke, Supyk perhaps. I think a lot of these guys have a lot of potential, but I worry our successes this season will hinge on whether 1 or 2 can have a Cacace/Old/Paulson etc season.

I am also very concerned where our goals are going to come from this season given Kosta has left and Piper (who did well to be fair) was our second most lethal player in front of goal.

Just

coochiee

If Matt Ellis is still training at the Nix, he seems the logical left side signing. Just surprising it's still not announced.

I noticed Matt Ellis has started Auckland City's last two games. Probably means we aren't getting him I think.

Also Deklan Wynne missed his last game and went off at 36 min the game before so he is probably injured (don't think we were looking at him anyway).

Auckland wanted him back to help push for National League.

He's supposed to be coming back to Wellington next week. Whether that changes because ACFC still need a win to guarantee their spot, well that remains to be seen.

Scratch my last post. 

Updated information - Ellis won't be getting a deal with the Nix.

imanixsupporter

Loke isn't as good at RB as Sheridan yet alone Payne. GSR & Supyk have shown nothing in preseason. I'll admit LBS has shown flashes late last season and in preseason but he is still far from the finished article and shouldn't need to be relied on to start regularly. I don't think these kids are going to save us unfortunately. 

Ninja

Think we might need to see some breakout seasons for a couple of our younger players to get anything out of this season.

LBS, GSR, Loke, Supyk perhaps. I think a lot of these guys have a lot of potential, but I worry our successes this season will hinge on whether 1 or 2 can have a Cacace/Old/Paulson etc season.

I am also very concerned where our goals are going to come from this season given Kosta has left and Piper (who did well to be fair) was our second most lethal player in front of goal.

Not sure I agree re Loke v Sheridan. Have been relatively impressed with Loke in the few appearances I've seen. Nothing groundbreaking, but seems to have quite a bit of ability already and potential.

I think Sheridan's been steady. I don't think I've seen anything groundbreaking yet, but that's to be expected with young players. Definitely need to give them time to develop, but maybe not as default starters in our first 11 each match.

I think Sheridan can kick on, he's still young. Again, I think a few of these guys could have breakout seasons for us this year. At least, that's what I'm hoping.