Central Coast Mariners can tonight confirm talented midfielder Mustafa Amini has been transferred to German Bundesliga Champion BVB Borussia Dortmund, however will remain with the Mariners until May 2012.
Central Coast Mariners can tonight confirm talented midfielder Mustafa Amini has been transferred to German Bundesliga Champion BVB Borussia Dortmund.
As part of the transfer arrangements, Amini will be instantly loaned back to the Mariners from tonight until 31 May 2012, allowing him to represent the Central Coast in the 2011/12 Hyundai A-League season as well as the group stage of the 2012 AFC Champions League.
The transfer creates a win win situation for all parties involved, with Amini able to pursue his dreams of playing football for a European heavyweight while at the same time spending another critical year developing under the guidance of Mariners boss Graham Arnold.
Mariners fans will thus be treated to another season admiring the silky skills of the young playmaker, while interest in the club as well as the Hyundai A-League in Germany is sure to grow with overseas based fans keeping a watchful eye on the precocious talent.
An ecstatic Amini today expressed his appreciation that the Mariners and Dortmund were able to arrive at such a fantastic outcome.
“I-d like to thank Peter Turnbull and Graham Arnold at the Mariners for working on this with Dortmund,” Amini said. “I-m really excited to be joining Dortmund, they-re a big club with amazing supporters.”
Having experienced the passion of Dortmund-s fans twice as a spectator while he was training with the club earlier this year, Amini beamed when asked about the potential of playing in front of over 80,000 supporters at the club-s Signal Iduna Park.
“It would be amazing,” he said. “But first of all I want to have another great season with the Mariners, as well as a good Under 20 World Cup in Colombia.”
Central Coast Mariners Chairman, Peter Turnbull, said that the transfer represented the best outcome possible for the Mariners and Amini alike.
“I am pleased we have been able to secure a much improved deal for all parties, and thank Dortmund for their consideration of our requests.
“We now have a deal that satisfies everyone – Musti-s international future, the clubs needs and more importantly, the fans. They will now be able to see Musti play out the balance of his original contract plus the Asian Champions League group stage.”
Turnbull said the transfer highlighted the Mariners conscious decision to foster elite young Australian talent, which is a club-wide policy.
“We are a club that encourages young Australian players, and that will continue to be the case. It is testament to Arnie and our coaching staff that we have five players in the running for the Australian Under 20 World Cup team, and that would have been six had Mat Ryan not been injured. We also boast the captain of the Qantas U23s.
“We wish Musti all the best as he continues his international football education and I know that in the meantime the Mariners will be the focus of his attention and hard work for the next 12 months. We have agreed that when he returns from his exciting European career, it will be to play for the Mariners again.”
