Two former Newcastle Jets coaches are firmly in the sights of A-League Men’s (ALM) rivals Western Sydney Wanderers.
And, ironically, it comes after the club sacked mentor Alen Stajcic during the week following the side’s 2-1 loss to the Hunter team on Saturday 17 January.
The result left Western Sydney anchored at the bottom of the ladder and lifted Newcastle into third.
It’s understood Gary van Egmond, who guided the Jets to the championship in 2007/08 and was named Coach of the Year that season, has been appointed as an interim manager.
But, ex-Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City title-winning mentor Patrick Kisnorbo and Rob Stanton, who oversaw Newcastle’s recent rebuild, are in mix for a permanent position, too.
The latter, credited for bringing Clayton Taylor, Lachlan Rose and Eli Adams to the Jets, is currently assisting Iraq national team boss Graham Arnold.
Stajcic’s tenure was under increasing pressure, with the Wanderers winning only three games and scoring a league-low 10 goals from 13 matches.
He exits his third ALM outfit, having joined Western Sydney in 2024 after quitting Perth Glory following months of off-field turbulence.
The 52-year-old had two seasons remaining on his contract at the Glory before moving to the Wanderers to replace Marko Rudan, who vacated the position for family reasons despite signing a new contract until the end of 2026/27.
Stajcic had impressed in his first season, guiding Western Sydney to a fourth-placed finish before suffering a 2-1 elimination final defeat to the Victory.
This year’s struggles follow the loss of key players in the off-season, with winger Nicolas Milanovic and forward Zac Sapsford among them.
Former Manchester United star Juan Mata also left the Wanderers for Melbourne after being used sporadically in his maiden year in Australia.
Stajcic first coached Central Coast from 2019 to 2021 in the ALM, after being punted as coach of Australia’s women’s team – a position he held for five years.
After the Matildas, he oversaw the Philippines’ women’s side from 2021-23 and took the nation to its first World Cup in his final year at the helm.
- With AAP
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