#106 - Alessandro Circati joins Benfica & Lucas Herrington makes Premier League debut

Alessandro Circati becomes the latest young Socceroo to make a huge move to Europe, joining Benfica from Parma for a reported $33 million AUD. We break down what the transfer means for Circati and his development, while also covering a big week of Australian footballers making their mark overseas.

This Week’s Big Stories

• Alessandro Circati joins Benfica: The young Socceroo signs a five-year deal in a reported $33M AUD transfer from Parma.
• Lucas Herrington makes his Premier League debut: The Hull defender delivered a composed 26-minute cameo in their huge win over Manchester United, winning all three of his aerial duels.
• Nestory Irankunda debuts for Sporting: The Australian winger created three chances in 22 minutes off the bench.
• Patrick Beach starts in France: The goalkeeper kept a clean sheet for Troyes against Paris FC.
• Goals and assists across Europe: Christian Volpato, Josh Nisbet, Noa Skoko, Amy Sayer and others found the scoresheet or contributed to big results.
• Jackson Irvine shines in Japan: The Socceroos captain made his first start for his new club and provided the assist in a 1-0 win.
• Ange Postecoglou keeps winning in Saudi Arabia: Two league wins and a cup victory maintain his side's position at the top.
• Jordy Bos suffers a serious knee injury: The Dutch-based Australian is facing a lengthy six-month layoff, putting his Asian Cup hopes in doubt.

Circati’s Big Benfica Move

We dive deeper into Alessandro Circati’s move from Parma to Benfica and what the next step could mean for the young defender.

Circati has already captained both Parma and the Socceroos at a remarkably young age, highlighting his leadership qualities and enormous potential. Benfica also offers the opportunity to compete in European football, with the Portuguese giants involved in the Europa League playoff.

The big question: Is the Portuguese league a stronger environment for Circati than Serie A? While Serie A offers a higher overall standard across the league, Benfica provides regular title contention and European football.

Aussies Making Their Mark

Premier League & Championship

Lucas Herrington's Premier League debut was a standout, with the young defender recording:

• 26 minutes
• 100% passing accuracy
• 9 touches
• 4 clearances
• 3 headed clearances
• 3/3 aerial duels won
• 0 fouls committed

Alex Robertson played 90 minutes in Cardiff’s 2-2 draw with Derby, while Riley McGree, Mo Toure and Kealey Adamson also featured in the Championship.

Europe

• Josh Nisbet scored and earned Man of the Match honours for Roda JC.
• Christian Volpato opened the scoring in Sassuolo’s 3-0 Coppa Italia win.
• Noa Skoko scored for Rudes in Croatia.
• Amy Sayer rescued a point for Malmö with an equaliser.
• Remy Siemsen scored for Kristianstads, assisted by Bryleeh Henry.
• Hayley Raso started for Eintracht Frankfurt.
• Marcus Younis continued his run of starts for Brondby.
• Musa Toure scored off the bench for Randers in the Danish Cup.
• Gianni Stensness featured in Viking’s Champions League playoff comeback.
• Cam Devlin was sent off shortly after coming on for Rangers.

Asia Round-Up

Jackson Irvine provided an assist on his first start in Japan as Yokohama secured a 1-0 win.

In China, John Aloisi’s Chengdu Rongcheng suffered a wild 5-4 defeat, while Nick Montgomery’s Beijing Guoan conceded a late goal to limit the damage in the table. Ross Aloisi’s Zhejiang Professional grabbed a late equaliser and sit 11th.

In Saudi Arabia, Ange Postecoglou continues to entertain and win, with his side maintaining top spot after two league victories and a cup win.

Asian Champions League Draw

The A-League clubs now know their potential Asian opponents, with Newcastle Jets facing a challenging path that includes some of Asia’s biggest clubs.

Key opponents include Shanghai Port, Kashima Antlers, Johor Darul Ta’zim, Vissel Kobe, Kashiwa Reysol, Beijing Guoan, Gamba Osaka and Kyoto Sanga.

The playoff decider is set for 31 August 2026.

Back Home

• Sydney FC squeezed past SD Raiders in the Australia Cup quarter-finals.
• Melbourne Victory also progressed to the semi-finals.
• A-League Women fixtures have been released.
• Dean Heffernan has been appointed Mariners Women’s head coach.
• Sutherland Sharks qualified for the Australian Championship.
• Mile Sterjovski and Macarthur Bulls have mutually parted ways, with Sasa Ognenovski taking over.
• Nishan Velupillay has joined Ingolstadt in Germany.
• Awan Lual is attracting interest from clubs across eight overseas leagues.
• Changes have been made to the Young Socceroos squad ahead of U20 Asian Cup qualifying.

Team of the Week

GK: Mackenzie Arnold

DEF: Kealey Adamson, Lucas Herrington, Gianni Stensness, Ben Garuccio

MID: Noa Skoko, Eddie Caspers, Josh Nisbet

ATT: Christian Volpato, Amy Sayer, Remy Siemsen

SUB: Charli Grant

From Circati’s blockbuster Benfica transfer to Herrington’s Premier League debut and another big week for Australians across Europe and Asia, there’s plenty to discuss in this week’s episode.

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