There is “shock” in Australia at the bargain fee Aberdeen have struck for Western Sydney Wanderers “star of the show” Nicolas Milanovic.
On Friday, The Press and Journal confirmed the 23-year-old winger will move to Jimmy Thelin’s Dons on a multi-year deal at the end of the current campaign, with the Reds paying A-League outfit WSW around £400,000 to land him.
Sacha Pisani, a journalist who covers Australia’s top-flight, revealed there is “surprise” Down Under at the low price-tag – with Croatian-Aussie wideman Milanovic “up there” as one of the A-League’s best players and currently in the hunt for the golden boot.
Pisani said: “There’s been a bit of shock about the sort of fee that’s been bandied around. I think given the consistency of performance he’s produced the last sort of two years, I think people were expecting a bigger fee for him.
“At the end of the last season, there was a lot of talk of him going back to Croatia and Dinamo Zagreb for a similar fee of around 800,000 Aussie dollars. He turned that down and re-signed at Western Sydney.
“He had a breakout season last year – and he’s bettered that with 12 goals this season and is in running for the golden boot.”
Why Milanovic is ‘primed’ to make impact for Aberdeen – and Australia
A switch to the right flank has benefitted Milanovic this term, allowing him to cut in and use his stronger left foot to lethal affect.
Pundits fully “expected” the under-23 cap to receive a maiden call-up to the most recent senior Socceroos squad, and were left scratching their heads when he was omitted – but “it’s only a matter of time before he’s in there,” Pisani said.
Pisani thinks Milanovic is “primed” to make an impact at Aberdeen, saying: “He’s a really good player who’s just confident this season.
“You can just see the way he’s sort of developed and coming into his own now at a good age – 23.
“He’s not too young, but he just looks ready for that next step.
“I think he backed himself not to jump at the first chance to go overseas.
“I think obviously there’s a lot of Aussies abroad – Aussies in Scotland at Motherwell, Ross County, Hearts and Hibs.
“But I think it’s a good stepping stone for him and a really proud club at Aberdeen.
“I think people are excited to see that happen, and it’s no surprise to see him go overseas.
“I just think it was a matter of where – but I think he’s primed to make an impact.”
Goals and assists… with hard work and humble attitude
A-League expert Pisani says Milanovic has not only shown the ability to score and create goals for WSW, but demonstrated a determination to drag fourth-placed Wanderers to success this season – putting in the hard yards on the pitch and showing a similar steel in his interviews.
Pisani said: “A big difference I’ve noticed this season has been him tracking back and making tackles and stuff like that. He’s added another layer to his football and I think that will stand him in good stead when he makes the move over to Scotland.
“I think if you look at him this season, he’s playing with a lot of confidence, but he’s also very humble as well.
“You should listen to him talking after games, because obviously he’s in the golden boot hunt and he’s only one goal off top spot heading into the final round this weekend.
“But he’s just not interested in that. He wants to win a title. He’s playing for his hometown club, which means a lot to him.
“But yeah, he can create goals – he’s scored 12, with six assists. There’s a good balance there to him, obviously scoring, but also creating.
“And yeah, that left boot… There was a goal he scored, not last week, the week before which was quality, the way he just took on two or three players and drifted in.
“So I think fans are going to be excited to see what he does over there.
“Obviously it might take some time to acclimatise, you know, when players move abroad. He’s got a lot of games in the A-League, which I think will hold out well when he does make that move.”
Aberdeen-bound Milanovic is ‘a special talent’
While journalist Pisani thinks some A-League players can struggle in Europe due to the “number of games” in comparison to a lighter season at home, he says Aberdeen are signing a “star” of Australian football this summer.
He said: “He’s scored more than 20 goals since he made the move last season to Western Sydney, because he was in Melbourne before that.
“But he’s definitely coming at the peak of his powers, prime age.
“I work for the league and watch every game, every week, and this guy’s a special talent.
“There’s obviously an appetite for Scottish and English clubs to look at Aussie talent.
“If you look at Portsmouth, there’s like four that have just been signed directly from the A-League here, so it’s obviously a market clubs are tapping into.
“But this is a guy that’s definitely the star of the show if you look at his recent performances for Western Sydney.
“It (Wanderers) is a club that I think has made the finals once in the last seven years, so they’ve been sort of starved of success, but are in the midst of an 11-game unbeaten run – their best run of form in 12 years.
“And he (Milanovic) has been central to that with his goalscoring.”
Aberdeen linked with goalie Aleksandar Vulic
Meanwhile, the P&J can confirm, despite social media claims, Aberdeen are not in the race to sign Serbian goalkeeper Aleksandar Vulic.
The Dons were said to be in a race for the Spartak Subotica stopper’s signature this summer alongside English rivals, but Pittodrie sources insist the club have not been tracking Vulic.
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