With José Luis López’ addition, Ernie Merrick’s off-season recruitment seems to have reached its end. But work on the Victory’s W-League and National Youth League teams is still well underway.
Melbourne has signed Matilda’s goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri, who becomes the first signing for the Victory’s inaugural W-League team. Barbieri was on Melbourne’s medical staff three years ago when the league kicked off.
Earlier this year, she made headlines when she signed with the Richmond Eagles and became the first Australian woman to play in a professional men’s football team.
The W-League doesn’t start until late October, so the club still has ample time to assemble a full squad.
Meanwhile, Mehmet Durakovic’s youth team is close to complete after the club signed seven players this week. The Victory has signed Mijo Marinovic, Robert Wynne, Antonio LaVerde, Aziz Behich, Matthew Foschini, Stephen Hatzikostas and Fabio DiLizia.
Harzikostas and DiLizia both come over from the Victorian Institute of Sport, while the remainder have been sourced from various Victorian Premier League sides. They are aged between 16 and 19.
