SOCCEROOS star Jason Culina has been officially unveiled as Gold Coast United's inaugural marquee signing, along with Joel Porter and a Dutch import.
To see today's launch...
Billionaire owner Clive Palmer revealed at the club's launch at Skilled Park that the versatile PSV Eindhoven midfielder, a staple in Pim Verbeek's national side, would return home and lead the club in its debut season.
Palmer said that it's all part of a plan which he expects will see Gold Coast challenging for the A-League championship in its first year.
"Some people scoffed six months ago when we said we intended to win the title in our first season, since then we have set about building a squad and team to achieve our aims," Palmer said.
"Jason wanted to come back to Australia to be the No.1 player in the country and show the Australian public his considerable talents we intend to provide him with the environment to showcase his ability."
Palmer added: “We had a verbal agreement in place and we’re delighted to have now completed all the paperwork; we’re very much looking forward to him joining us.
"Leadership, strength, character, creativity, professionalism; these are just some of the attributes he will bring to our club.
“He has enjoyed an exciting career so far and his future is just as exciting,”
Having secured the signature of his number one transfer target, United Head Coach Miron Bleiberg said his aim all along was to bring in a player at his peak.
“Thanks to Clive Palmer we are bringing home a player in his prime who is a polished midfielder and delightful to watch. The public expect to see the Hyundai A-League marquee players heavily involved in the game and with Jason being a midfielder that’s what they will get,” Bleiberg said.
“Jason has everything we were looking for in a marquee player. He’s elegant, hard-working and will be a great example to our players.
“He has a great character and is very well disciplined. That’s what we want from our captain and our leader on the field. He ticks all the boxes and we are proud to be the club who has enticed such a top player back to Australian soil.
“We were ambitious to target him and thanks to Clive Palmer’s skill and tenacity we have got our man. Credit must also go to Jason’s father, Branko Culina, who was very professional and very helpful in the negotiating process.
"There were a lot of people involved; our CEO Clive Mensink and the club’s legal people worked tirelessly to make this happen, so credit and thanks to them also.”
The United Head Coach declared the return of such a high profile player as the dawn of a new era for the already successful Hyundai A-League, saying the signing of marquee players had now gone to another level.
“Clive Palmer and I wanted to bring home a prominent Socceroo because we knew it would be fantastic for us and fantastic for the game in Australia. Jason is not only a great signing for Gold Coast United; he’s a great signing for the league as a whole.
“Bringing in a top-class player in his prime like Jason sends a message that the Hyundai A-League is ready to move on to ‘phase two’ so-to-speak, because the bar has been raised now.”
Speaking from the Netherlands, United’s new star signing and skipper-in-waiting said he was excited about the challenge ahead of him.
“When this offer from Gold Coast United first came about I had a long chat with Clive Palmer and Miron Bleiberg. They told me about their ambitions for the club and I spoke about what I hoped to achieve, so at the end of the day our ambitions matched up nicely,” Culina said.
He continued: “The offer came at a great time as I was heading towards the end of my contract at PSV (Eindhoven) and I have come to a point in my career where I have achieved my goals in Europe. I’ve won three Championships with PSV, played in a World Cup, played 26 games in the UEFA Champions League and also played in the UEFA Cup, so I felt it was time to look at something else.
“Having done what I wanted to do in Europe I thought it would be a good time to give something back to Australian football, help to promote the sport, and at the same time, raise the level of the game in Australia.
“Gold Coast United is a great opportunity for me to do that and by coming back at a young age I am able to play at my best for the team and the Hyundai A-League. I believe I’m at my peak and I want to produce a very high standard of football.
“Clive Palmer is a winner and a man who knows what he wants. He’s made his ambitions for Gold Coast United very clear from day one and said our goal is to win the Hyundai A-League in our first season – and why not?
“Clive has high standards, high expectations and everyone at Gold Coast United has a winning mentality. I’m sure together we can move the club forward in leaps and bounds.
“There is still a lot I want to achieve in the game - I still want to win trophies and play my best football in every game. In Europe you have to have a winning mentality and one of my aims is to bring that mentality to the Gold Coast.”
Primed to become the new talisman for the Hyundai A-League, the Socceroo midfielder said he was ready for the role and the responsibility that accompanies it.
“There comes a point in your career where you have to take that extra responsibility and I’m certainly ready for that,” he said.
“I’ve been a solid member of the Socceroos for quite a few years now and I’m used to playing at the highest level. If I can be the player who is a catalyst for raising standards in the Hyundai A-League then that's fine by me; it’s what I want to achieve and the outcome we are all hoping for.”
The new club's colours will be predominantly yellow and blue, and Palmer also confirmed that the club had secured Hartlepool striker Joel Porter, who has played a handful of Socceroos games, as well as big Dutch defender Bas Van den Brink.
Porter, 30, represents another coup for United who fought off the competition to land the former Socceroo striker on a three-year deal.
Porter has been banging in goals for Hartlepool in England’s League One, leading the club’s goalscoring charts with 13 goals in 29 appearances so far this term.
The former West Adelaide, Melbourne Knights and Sydney Olympic hit-man, will be looking to make an immediate impact on the Hyundai A-League after spending the last six years in England.
Towering 188cm defender Bas van den Brink was a teammate of United midfielder Zenon Caravella at FC Omniworld in the Netherlands and will add both depth and quality to the United rearguard.
Van den Brink, who is comfortable in a number of defensive positions, played in the top Dutch division and UEFA Cup with FC Utrecht and at just 26-years-old he has his best years in front of him.
The signing of Culina, Porter and van den Brink takes the Gold Coast United roster to a total of 21 out of the permitted 23 players.
To see today's launch...
Billionaire owner Clive Palmer revealed at the club's launch at Skilled Park that the versatile PSV Eindhoven midfielder, a staple in Pim Verbeek's national side, would return home and lead the club in its debut season.
Palmer said that it's all part of a plan which he expects will see Gold Coast challenging for the A-League championship in its first year.
"Some people scoffed six months ago when we said we intended to win the title in our first season, since then we have set about building a squad and team to achieve our aims," Palmer said.
"Jason wanted to come back to Australia to be the No.1 player in the country and show the Australian public his considerable talents we intend to provide him with the environment to showcase his ability."
Palmer added: “We had a verbal agreement in place and we’re delighted to have now completed all the paperwork; we’re very much looking forward to him joining us.
"Leadership, strength, character, creativity, professionalism; these are just some of the attributes he will bring to our club.
“He has enjoyed an exciting career so far and his future is just as exciting,”
Having secured the signature of his number one transfer target, United Head Coach Miron Bleiberg said his aim all along was to bring in a player at his peak.
“Thanks to Clive Palmer we are bringing home a player in his prime who is a polished midfielder and delightful to watch. The public expect to see the Hyundai A-League marquee players heavily involved in the game and with Jason being a midfielder that’s what they will get,” Bleiberg said.
“Jason has everything we were looking for in a marquee player. He’s elegant, hard-working and will be a great example to our players.
“He has a great character and is very well disciplined. That’s what we want from our captain and our leader on the field. He ticks all the boxes and we are proud to be the club who has enticed such a top player back to Australian soil.
“We were ambitious to target him and thanks to Clive Palmer’s skill and tenacity we have got our man. Credit must also go to Jason’s father, Branko Culina, who was very professional and very helpful in the negotiating process.
"There were a lot of people involved; our CEO Clive Mensink and the club’s legal people worked tirelessly to make this happen, so credit and thanks to them also.”
The United Head Coach declared the return of such a high profile player as the dawn of a new era for the already successful Hyundai A-League, saying the signing of marquee players had now gone to another level.
“Clive Palmer and I wanted to bring home a prominent Socceroo because we knew it would be fantastic for us and fantastic for the game in Australia. Jason is not only a great signing for Gold Coast United; he’s a great signing for the league as a whole.
“Bringing in a top-class player in his prime like Jason sends a message that the Hyundai A-League is ready to move on to ‘phase two’ so-to-speak, because the bar has been raised now.”
Speaking from the Netherlands, United’s new star signing and skipper-in-waiting said he was excited about the challenge ahead of him.
“When this offer from Gold Coast United first came about I had a long chat with Clive Palmer and Miron Bleiberg. They told me about their ambitions for the club and I spoke about what I hoped to achieve, so at the end of the day our ambitions matched up nicely,” Culina said.
He continued: “The offer came at a great time as I was heading towards the end of my contract at PSV (Eindhoven) and I have come to a point in my career where I have achieved my goals in Europe. I’ve won three Championships with PSV, played in a World Cup, played 26 games in the UEFA Champions League and also played in the UEFA Cup, so I felt it was time to look at something else.
“Having done what I wanted to do in Europe I thought it would be a good time to give something back to Australian football, help to promote the sport, and at the same time, raise the level of the game in Australia.
“Gold Coast United is a great opportunity for me to do that and by coming back at a young age I am able to play at my best for the team and the Hyundai A-League. I believe I’m at my peak and I want to produce a very high standard of football.
“Clive Palmer is a winner and a man who knows what he wants. He’s made his ambitions for Gold Coast United very clear from day one and said our goal is to win the Hyundai A-League in our first season – and why not?
“Clive has high standards, high expectations and everyone at Gold Coast United has a winning mentality. I’m sure together we can move the club forward in leaps and bounds.
“There is still a lot I want to achieve in the game - I still want to win trophies and play my best football in every game. In Europe you have to have a winning mentality and one of my aims is to bring that mentality to the Gold Coast.”
Primed to become the new talisman for the Hyundai A-League, the Socceroo midfielder said he was ready for the role and the responsibility that accompanies it.
“There comes a point in your career where you have to take that extra responsibility and I’m certainly ready for that,” he said.
“I’ve been a solid member of the Socceroos for quite a few years now and I’m used to playing at the highest level. If I can be the player who is a catalyst for raising standards in the Hyundai A-League then that's fine by me; it’s what I want to achieve and the outcome we are all hoping for.”
The new club's colours will be predominantly yellow and blue, and Palmer also confirmed that the club had secured Hartlepool striker Joel Porter, who has played a handful of Socceroos games, as well as big Dutch defender Bas Van den Brink.
Porter, 30, represents another coup for United who fought off the competition to land the former Socceroo striker on a three-year deal.
Porter has been banging in goals for Hartlepool in England’s League One, leading the club’s goalscoring charts with 13 goals in 29 appearances so far this term.
The former West Adelaide, Melbourne Knights and Sydney Olympic hit-man, will be looking to make an immediate impact on the Hyundai A-League after spending the last six years in England.
Towering 188cm defender Bas van den Brink was a teammate of United midfielder Zenon Caravella at FC Omniworld in the Netherlands and will add both depth and quality to the United rearguard.
Van den Brink, who is comfortable in a number of defensive positions, played in the top Dutch division and UEFA Cup with FC Utrecht and at just 26-years-old he has his best years in front of him.
The signing of Culina, Porter and van den Brink takes the Gold Coast United roster to a total of 21 out of the permitted 23 players.
To see today's launch...
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