Sunderland swoops for Mariners star
EXCLUSIVE: The A-Leagues Men grand final will be the last game in a Central Coast Mariners shirt for Nectarios Triantis, with Sunderland beating an array of rivals to land the highly-rated defender.
The Black Cats have agreed a transfer fee of around $500,000 for the 20 year-old Australian U-20 international - widely tipped to emerge as a fully-fledged Socceroos player in the near future.
Triantis, who had a year left on his contract, will join compatriot Bailey Wright at the Stadium of Light, assuming the 30 year-old Australia defender is not released in the off-season.
It’s understood the Wearsiders, who chased the dream of back-to-back promotions this season before being knocked out in the playoffs by Luton Town, have been tracking Triantis for some time.
They were forced to act quickly in the face of intense competition across Europe for the youngster’s signature after a breakout debut season for the Mariners.
Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray, who formerly coached ex-Socceroos star Scott McDonald at Middlesbrough, stated after the recent 3-2 aggregate loss to the promoted Hatters that the club lacked depth and needed to bring in extra quality.
The capture of Triantis is the first step in filling that void, with another Premier League promotion push planned for next season.
Released by Wanderers after just five senior appearances, Triantis has flourished - along with a gallery of fellow rookies - under the leadership of Mariners coach Nick Montgomery.
He has made 24 appearances alongside the impressive Brian Kaltak at the back, his composure in possession, reading of the game and distribution skills winning him admirers and making a move to higher ranked league all but inevitable.
Mariners owner Richard Peil, who has presided over a stunning resurgence in Gosford, was reluctant to discuss the future of Triantis, or any of the club’s other young guns, ahead of the grand final against Melbourne City.
“I’m not going to confirm or deny any rumours at the moment - I just want to let the players play their game,” Peil said. “Like every off-season they’ll be players coming in and players going out, that we guarantee.
“We’ll make some (further) comments post the grand final.”
