Who are Western Sydney Wanderers' players? Former Premier League star and ex-wonderkid set to face Chelsea | OneFootball

Ex-Premier League forward now plays in A-League

Chelsea take on the Western Sydney Wanderers on Tuesday in the first game of their pre-season tour.

The Blues travelled to Australia and New Zealand as Xabi Alonso prepares for his first season in charge.

The Spaniard has taken over the reins from Liam Rosenior, who was sacked back in April after a run of five consecutive defeats without scoring.

Now, the west Londoners are looking to improve on their 10th-place finish, and they have invested heavily in the transfer market already, with the arrivals of Marco Palestra and Morgan Rogers joining the likes of Emmanuel Emegha and Geovany Quenda, who already had pre-existing deals in place.

They face Western Sydney today in the Sydney Super Cup as Alonso presides over his first game in charge.

With new-found interest in the Australian side ahead of facing Chelsea, Standard Sport ran the rule over which players to look out for in the pre-season friendly...

Lawrence Thomas

The Wanderers’ first-choice goalkeeper. Thomas, 34, had an unsuccessful trial in England back in 2010 at Coventry, and he has been at Wanderers for four years, moving from Sønderjyske in Denmark in 2022. He captains the side.

Alex Gersbach

Born to a German father and Greek mother, the left-back has had a scattered career across Europe, playing for the likes of Rosenborg, NAC Breda, AGF and Grenoble before running out for the Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer. He has six international caps for Australia.

Dylan Scicluna

A 22-year-old central midfielder who came through the ranks at Wolves. The No8 joined Wanderers three years ago and has caps for Malta’s youth sides.

Hiroshi Ibusuki

A former wonderkid in La Liga with Sevilla. Netted 12 goals in 20 games for Real Zaragoza B in 2009-10, before 20 in 32 appearances for Sevilla B across 2011-2013. 35 years old, 6’5”, he has scored 28 goals in 71 appearances for Adelaide United and 10 in 25 for Western United in the last couple of years.

Goal machine: Hiroshi Ibsuki

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Ryan Fraser

Formerly of Newcastle and Bournemouth, the diminuative Scotland winger fell out with manager Eddie Howe at St James’ Park. Moved to Australia in January this year.

Brandon Borrello

31-year-old Australian winger with a long spell in Germany. Played for Kaiserslautern, Freiburg, Dusseldorf and Dynamo Dresden before returning to Australia in 2022. 16 international caps.

Jordan Holmes

A product of English non-league. Born in Sydney, moved to Bournemouth as a youngster in 2013. Loaned out to Weymouth, Eastbourne Borough and St Mirren before a spell at Ebbsfleet. Goalkeeper eturned to Australia in 2021.

German Ferreyra

Former Argentina youth international. New signing after arriving from Melbourne City, the 30-year-old defender moved to Australia after a spell in the Russian second tier.