Aimar to Brisbane!
El Mago comes to Brisbane
The decision between Kalilou Traore and Pablo Aimar was harder than I thought. Here was a 26 year old big bruising midfielder who could add toughness and flair to this team. But in the end, I could not escape the lure of the wizard.
Pablo Aimar will be the next Brisbane Roar marquee.
Signed to a 2-year $250,000 per year contract, Aimar will be a short term addition which will take him into the twilight of his career with grace. In addition, it's a $100,000 saving per year over the Broich deal, with the ability to attract a new marquee in 2016, when Aimar will be 36 years old.
Aimar comes to the A-League as arguably one of the most well known and successful marquees the league has recieved. Joining the likes of Dwight Yorke, Robbie Fowler and Alessandro Del Pierro as one of the highest profile recruits to the A-League. (I'm not counting David Villa since he was only a guest player).
The announcement was made on Wednesday, when Aimar accepted the opportunity to join the Brisbane Roar. He arrived in Brisbane on Thursday, being introduced to the fans and media on Friday, with speculation rife as to whether he would suit up on Saturday for the Roar's friendly match against the Western Pride. That decision would be left for Aimar and the coaches to decide, but considering Aimar's enthusiasm, I think he probably will get on the pitch for a bit.
The team and the fans, they are apprehensive. Aimar is a sublime talent, but certainly lacks speed and fitness, as he's certainly getting on in years. Regardless, the fans are hoping for some of that magic talent to shine through, and the team is hoping that this world class playmaker lives up to his name.
The Mexican Youngster
Lost in the hype around Aimar, the Roar also made a quiet little signing for 20 year old Mexican midfielder Raul Antonio Vidal. Vidal was without a team after playing in the Mexican 2nd division, and was looking to make a move to the US or remain in Mexico. However, the lure of Australia beckoned, and the opportunity presented was one that he found intriguing.
Vidal will round off the foreign player allotment for the team, following the loss of Mensur Kurtisi, and will look to battle Luke Brattan for the backup spot to Liam Miller as the teams central midfielder.
One of the concerns with Vidal is his ability to play only a single position. Central midfielder. One of the first training actions was to start him on his way to learning the midfield from the left then right side of the pitch. In addition, newly signed Aimar, has been asked to tutor the young Vidal, with both players very keen and excited to be working together, especially considering the common language of Spanish will help tremendously.
Both Vidal and Thomas Monconduit hit it off tremendously early on, and whilst they have struggled with the French vs Spanish language differences, they have decided to rent an apartment in South Bank to acclimatise to Brisbane life together. I'm hoping the Aussie boys will keep an eye on the pair, as a blue eyed 23yr old Frenchman and a tall, dark 20yr old Mexican lad let loose upon the unsuspecting ladies of Brisbane could spell disaster before the season even begins!
Next Up: Aimar's debut and the preseason rolls on.
