To relive Aloisi's finest Socceroo moments...

The deal to sign Aloisi for Central Coast was agreed at 10am on Saturday after a late bid from Sydney FC was rejected by the player's representatives, according to Central Coast chairman Lyall Gorman.

“Sydney was negotiating right up until the end. But his mind had been made up prior to that,” Gorman tells au.fourfourtwo.com.

“He's told me he wants to get off the plane this Tuesday morning and go straight to our 10am training session. And we'd hope that he'd be able to make himself available for selection for the Sydney game this weekend.”

The Socceroo striker comes in as a replacement for utility Matthew Osman who's been ruled out for the season with a cruciate ligament injury. As such, the former Osasuna and Coventry City striker's salary falls outside the salary cap.

Aloisi is set to be unveiled later that day at Bluetongue Stadium. The Mariners had spent most of last week working on bringing the player to Gosford once the injury to Osman was revealed.

“It's a very clear statement from the Mariners. We've said all along that we want to be the best football club in Australia,” says Gorman.

“We're not going to sit back and watch other clubs with larger populations pass us. It's a statement about our belief and our vision for the game."

So what lured Aloisi to the Central Coast? “Respect,” adds Gorman. “I think there was a great respect from John and his management about the way we went about the negotiations.

“He was incredibly impressed with the respect we showed him and the fact that we are a well regarded club. He's gotten excellent feedback about the club from people within the game such as his brother Ross and Tony Vidmar.

“At the end of the day he saw a club that was stable, committed, settled and one that really showed we wanted him to be a part of our football family.

"I think he liked our family values and the way we play football as well as our coaching staff and ambition.”

Gorman refused to talk in dollar terms about the cost of bringing this Aussie hero to Bluetongue.

Aloisi is not match fit right now having last played a competitive game in late July against Japan in the Asian Cup in Hanoi, where he scored.

However, the player has told Gorman he is highly fit “on an individual basis".

Gorman said: "He sets very high personal standards in that regard.”

Paddy Dominguez of Aloisi's management group, Inspire Sports Management added: “There have been a large number of clubs making offers to John over the past five months, and we are very grateful and flattered by all their interest.

"John has been waiting for a deal that he felt completely comfortable with before committing himself and has been in no rush to sign something for the sake of signing.”

Aloisi will be available for all Mariners games – including if they reach a grand final.

And the club is hopeful of retaining Aloisi for a longer term deal once the season is over.

“In terms of perception in the market place,” added a clearly delighted Gorman, “this shows we are a club on the move.

"And it's not just a boost for the Mariners, it's a boost for the A-League.”

To relive Aloisi's finest Socceroo moments...