Melbourne Victory Lose out on Danny Holla

Melbourne Victory have failed in their attempts to bring in defensive midfielder Danny Holla, as the player has decided to move elsewhere. The 30-year-old looked seemingly ready to join Melbourne Victory after agreeing a verbal contract – for a period of one year – with the club. It was also agreed that Melbourne Victory will offer him the option of another year depending on the progress of the campaign. The defensive midfielder from Netherlands has played for several clubs like FC Groningen, Britain, and FC Twente throughout his career. However, he has been without a club since leaving the Dutch outfitTwente at the end of the 2018 campaign.

It is rumoured that the deal faced a last-minute hitch and this resulted in manager Kevin Muscat looking at other options in order to strengthen his squad. Melbourne Victory are in a desperate situation with regards to strengthening the squad, as they have the replace experienced campaigners like Besart Berisha, James Donachie, and Rhys Williams. The departure of Besart Berisha will be the biggest blow for the club, who have also been hit by the exit of Leroy George. Unsurprisingly, the reigning A-League champions have been linked with a number of players from across the world. US international Jozy Altidore and former England international Peter Crouch are a few of the options being mentioned as potential candidates for Victory.

“In the end, I made the choice not to do it. I am not disappointed, but of course it is a shame. It just could not be the case.There are some Dutch clubs that have informed and there are also contacts with foreign clubs. I will now weigh my options and see which club I have the best feeling for,” said Holla.Victory were able to end the regular campaign in the fourth place but they beat Newcastle Jets in the Grand Final.