Adelaide United Director of Football, Bruce Djite, hailed the re-signing of Ben Halloran to a new two-year contract.
Halloran’s contract was set to expire at the end of this season but will now remain in Adelaide until 2022.
Djite was delighted to have secured Halloran’s signature, stating the 27-year-old’s decision to renew was a massive coup for the Club, particularly because he was so highly sought after by other teams.
“I think it’s a fantastic signing for the Club, a player who had a lot of interest from a wide range of clubs,” he disclosed to reporters at a press conference on Wednesday.
“So we are really chuffed that he’s chosen to stick with Adelaide United for a further two years.
“And with his best years ahead of him we believe he’s coming into the prime ages as a footballer.”
To celebrate TWO more years of Ben Halloran, we're giving away double passes to Saturday's match against Western United to anyone that purchases our white away kit. Online for the next 24 hours.
🛒: https://t.co/njdOcMuJra#AUFC #BookThemOut #ADLvWUN pic.twitter.com/mmcS1APJaZ— Adelaide United (@AdelaideUnited) March 4, 2020
Djite said he is pleased with how the squad is shaping beyond this campaign with the majority of key players locked away for next season.
“We are satisfied at the moment,” when asked about how the team was coming together beyond this season.
“I’ve been speaking to Benny’s management for quite some time now to try lock him in.
“Every week he was playing the price was going up and up and up, because he hit that purple patch and deservedly so.
“I think we have come to a good agreement with a lot of the key players we want to have for the future.”
1️⃣0️⃣ goals in 2️⃣1️⃣ games this season! 🔥 #AUFC #ADLvWUN https://t.co/mY8Skumvkx
— Adelaide United (@AdelaideUnited) March 4, 2020
The ex-Reds striker praised Halloran’s quality and intimated more announcements regarding re-signings would be made in the not too distant future.
“I always believe even as a former player and in my role at the moment that you know the capability of the more senior players in your team,” he continued.
“Everyone knows what Ben Halloran can bring on his best day and you also know that he might have a period when he’s not playing the best.
“But you know his level and generally over the course of the season people perform at their level and it’s our firm belief that Ben is a high-level player.
“When he’s at his best, he’s one of the best players in the league and that’s why we wanted to sign him for another two years.
“So a lot of our signings for the future have already been done, some still in negotiation, but I firmly believe if there’s anyone we really want to keep we should be able to keep them.”
Adelaide United host Western United in Round 22 of the Hyundai A-League 2019/20 season on Saturday, 7 March at Coopers Stadium. Kick-off is at 4.30pm ACDT. Gates open at 1.00pm. Live and Exclusive on Fox Sports, ABC, Kayo Sports and the MyFootball Live App.
