Williams makes Aussie switch
A year ago, former Middlesbrough defender and Burnley loanee Rhys Williams returned home to Australia to link up with his home town team Perth Glory.
Things didn’t work out as he had hoped and in January this year he was disappointed when they refused him a move to Sydney FC. They gave him two options at the time, to remain at Perth or to find a club overseas while flatly refusing him a move to another Australian club with chief executive Peter Filopoulos explaining: “We’d prefer him to stay here. However, if an overseas club showed some interest, we’d have discussions, but certainly for us to terminate the contract for him to be able to move in the January window to another A-League club is not an option.”
But four months on, Williams, who is keen to get back into the national squad for whom he hasn’t played since 2013, has got his move although he’s now decided against Sydney and opted for Melbourne Victory who he will join for pre-season training in seven weeks time.
In charge at Victory is former Crystal Palace, Wolves and Millwall full back Kevin Muscat who had a reputation on the dark side of English football. He was branded a lowlife by Ian Wright, was described as the most hated man in football by then Birmingham player Martin Grainger and came close to getting sacked at Millwall after a stamping incident in just his second game for them in a game that left Watford’s Sean Dyche as the only defender not to receive a card.
But he was the main reason for Williams to choose Victory. “I had some things to weigh up in terms of a couple of different offers, but ultimately it was my conversations with Kevin that convinced me Melbourne Victory was the right place to sign,” Williams said.
Williams joined Burnley on loan in January 2009 from Middlesbrough and he played in the remaining 17 league games that season at right-back. The terms of his loan saw him depart after the last game against Bristol City with Michael Duff replacing him in the play-offs.
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