Syd FC sign German midfielder, Nisbet leaves Mariners

Sydney FC head coach Ufuk Talay welcomes new signing Anas Ouahim to the Sky Blues. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)

Sydney FC have lured German midfielder Anas Ouahim down under, while Josh Nisbet has left Central Coast to pursue overseas opportunities.

Ouahim joins the A-League Men club on a two-year deal, making the overseas move after five appearances on-loan for Moldovan Super Liga club Sheriff Tiraspol.

The attacking midfielder began his career with two-time Bundesliga champions Koln FC in 2017 and spent five years in the German league, before making the switch to Dutch second-tier club Heracles Almelo.

Brought to Sydney to be a playmaker, Ouahim will most likely line up in the No.10 role, but has played on the left wing.

"I had the feeling that they really want me because they knew that I'm a good pressing player," the 26-year-old said on Tuesday.

"They saw that I'm defensively against the ball and pressing a good player that can take the ball.

"That's one of my qualities, and I was happy to hear that they knew it."

A playing career in the Australian league had never crossed his mind until the club had approached him, leaving Ouahim without any doubts.

Such was his enthusiasm he drove from the Netherlands to Germany in a bid to fast track his visa process.

"In Germany, they are very slow ... so they told me it's going to take one to four weeks," Ouahim said.

"I said 'No, I can't accept that. I want to be earlier there' so I drove some hours to make it happen."

Ouahim is the second off-season signing under Sydney coach Ufuk Talay, following Australian goalkeeper Harrison Devenish-Meares.

The club is still on the lookout for a striker and a defensive midfielder following the departure of big-name players including Fabios Gomes, Luke Brattan, Robert Mak, Jack Rodwell and Jake Girdwood-Reich.

Nisbet leaves treble winners Central Coast after declining an upgraded offer from the club to pursue a stint abroad.

Josh Nisbet
Josh Nisbet's time with Central Coast Mariners is over as he seeks a new club overseas.

The move comes after seven years with the Mariners and a career-best season, with Nisbet capping the 2023-24 campaign with the Johnny Warren Medal, awarded to the league's best player.

He missed just 28 minutes across 44 games, won two PFA Player-of-the Month awards and was named in the PFA Team of the Year, finishing with the most assists in the competition.

Nisbet was rewarded with his first Socceroos call-up, making his international debut against Lebanon in March.

Meanwhile, fellow German midfielder Tolgay Arslan has quit Melbourne City despite being signed for at least one more season and having attended pre-season training.

The 33-year-old asked for an early release, a request "reluctantly" agreed to by the club.

His departure deals a significant blow to City, who lost league record goal-scorer Jamie Maclaren in April.

Arriving in June 2023, Arslan took out the club's Player of the Year award and the Players' Player Award after scoring 19 goals and providing seven assists in 34 appearances across all competitions.

Also on Tuesday, goalkeeper Paul Izzo left Melbourne Victory.

Izzo has joined Danish club Randers off the back of two standout seasons in Melbourne, with Victory netting a small transfer fee for the 29-year-old shot-stopper.

The club will at least be able to rely on the services of defender Jason Geria, who signed a two-year deal.

Across the Tasman, Wellington announced the re-signing of Marco Rojas for next season, while ex-Victory playmaker Jake Brimmer joined newcomers Auckland FC.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store