Jets eager for Musialik answer as Bridge departs

THE NEWCASTLE HERALD

By Neil Goffet

NEWCASTLE United officials expect Sydney FC to announce today they have signed Jets grand final hero Mark Bridge and will demand an answer from gifted midfielder Stuart Musialik on his future.

Bridge was linked to Sydney before he scored the only goal of Newcastle's historic 1-0 grand final victory over the Central Coast to secure the A-League title and Newcastle's first national soccer silverware.

Bridge is believed to have signed a three-year deal with Sydney.

This follows the departure last week of defender Andrew Durante, voted man of the match in the grand final, who has signed a two-year deal with Wellington Phoenix.

That leaves Musialik as the Jets' priority target, but they have been waiting more than six months for an answer and are not prepared to wait any longer.

"It is a very delicate situation, but we hope to have it resolved sooner rather than later," Jets chief executive John Tsatsimas told The Herald.

"The situation with Stuart is at a critical stage because we have had the offer on the table for nearly eight months.

"In the event that he's not going to be here, we need to know now, so we can look for a replacement.

"We have made every effort to keep him here and we hope to have the situation resolved early this week."

Meanwhile, Sydney FC are set to unveil Socceroos hero and former Central Coast Mariner John Aloisi as their new marquee player today.

The 32-year-old is expected to be presented at a press conference alongside his new strike partner, Bridge.

The pair opposed each other in last week's controversial A-League grand final.

But the future of Sydney's 2007-08 marquee star, Juninho, remains unclear as rival A-League clubs are rumoured to be interested in signing him.

Aloisi is believed to have signed a deal worth more than $1 million a season

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