Western Sydney Wanderers striker Kerem Bulut could make his debut against his former club Sydney FC in the derby on Saturday night with the Football Federation of Australia set to accept his registration as an injury replacement player.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Previously registered only for the Asian Champions League, Bulut is now a chance to play his first ever A-League game against the club he spent two season with as a youth squad player. The Wanderers applied for Bulut to come into their domestic squad as a replacement for Brendon Santalab who suffered another long-term shoulder injury in last week's defeat to Adelaide. Santalab is unlikely to play again this season.
The FFA informed Fairfax Media the application has been received, will be approved and could be processed as early as Friday afternoon, deeming him eligible to make his Australian club debut against Sydney FC. All that is now required for Bulut to play are signatures on his registration papers which could be submitted as soon as the Wanderers land in Sydney on Friday.
The Wanderers have also applied for fullback Yusuke Tanaka to remain registered in the A-League for the remainder of the season. Tanaka was initially registered as an injury replacement for Romeo Castelen who is now back to full fitness but could come in for Shannon Cole who faces a lengthy layoff after breaking his collarbone midweek.
Bulut was an unused substitute for the Wanderers 3-1 win over Japanese club Kashima Antlers in their midweek Asian Champions League group stage match. Should Bulut play against the Sky Blues in Saturday's derby, it would rub salt into the wounds of a club he spent two years at and where he became one of Australia's most exciting young attacking players. Bulut is widely regarded as the one who got away for Sydney having been one of the best players in their National Youth League squad only to be picked-up by Czech club Mlada Boleslav in 2010. He never made an appearance for Sydney's A-League squad and was likely to have been offered a professional contract at the end of his second season of the youth team.
Bulut went on to win the golden boot at the 2010 Asian Under-19 Championship after scoring seven goals in Australia's run to the final. After three seasons with Boleslav, Bulut played for Turkish SuperLig club Akhisar Belediyespor and went on loan to Karsiyaka before returning to Australia with the Wanderers in January.
