HIRED gun Beka Mikeltadze will train with the Jets for the first time on Sunday, fellow international Olivier Boumal is in his fourth day of quarantine, and the attacking duo are set to be joined by another import.
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Talks are advanced with Greek midfielder Savvas Siatravanis, and the Newcastle Herald understands a deal could be confirmed as early as Monday.
The 28-year-old played last season at Greek second division club Xanthi, where he was a teammate of Mikeltadze and Jets defender Matt Jurman. Jets assistant coach Arthur Diles held the same position at Xanthi.
Siatravanis, who has also been linked with a move to Melbourne Victory, can play as a winger or running No.10 and started 29 games for Xanthi last campaign.
His signature would give the Jets four foreigners, leaving one visa spot available.
Mikeltadze, a 23-year-old Georgian international, completed quarantine on Thursday and underwent a series of medicals on Friday.
"He is happy to be out of quarantine and is looking forward to getting on the pitch and working with everyone," Jets coach Arthur Papas said.
"He had all his medicals done on Friday and will start training when the group trains on Sunday.
"He has been looking after himself and is a very mobile, aggressive player.
"Still, we have to be smart with the way we manage anyone who comes out of quarantine, the first seven-to-10 days especially.
"We have experience with that already. The main thing is to get him through the first block and build from there."
Boumal, a Cameroonian attacker, has 10 days of quarantine remaining, while Brazilian No.10 Daniel Penha "will be getting on a flight in the next few days".
"The biggest challenge has been getting them all here, putting all the pieces of the puzzle together," Papas said.
"It is looking positive. The boys that are here are working extremely hard. We have put some really good work into them over the past couple of weeks."
The Jets are training under strict COVID protocols which doesn't allow for trials matches.
"It is something that we want. The information we have at the moment is that it is not possible," Papas said. "Especially when you have a group that has so many new players. Matches are really important for our preparation."
Joe Langlois, Bailey Wells and Adam Zervas and other youth team players have been training with the senior squad to enable intraclub games.
Meanwhile, the W-League will expand from nine to 12 teams by 2023 in a bid to capitalise on the looming Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Wellington Phoenix, Central Coast and Western United will all receive W-League licences over the next two years, the first expansion since Melbourne City in 2015.
Australian Professional Leagues boss Danny Townsend says the "likely scenario" is one team will join for the upcoming season with the other two to enter before 2022-23.
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James Gardiner
James Gardiner, chief football and rugby writer at the Newcastle Herald.
James Gardiner, chief football and rugby writer at the Newcastle Herald.
