With shrunken A-League budgets for 2024/25 yet to be confirmed by Australian Professional Leagues, the 12 clubs have begun building rosters they hope will have the quality required, as well as being one that falls within their financial means.

As is always the case, a late flood of moves will occur in July and August, with plenty of phone calls and emails currently being made between coaches and scouts in Australia and potential players to be lured down under from abroad, as well as domestic players now released from their local contracts.

Some significant moves have already been made.

Adelaide will be chuffed with the acquisition of former Newcastle attacker Archie Goodwin, a 19-year-old national representative with plenty of upside and 44 games for the Jets under his belt.

Whilst Auckland FC may only have a handful of players on the books at this early stage of their history, the arrival of Tommy Smith is an exciting one. At 34, he is nearing veteran status yet 51 caps for the All Whites and a long stint with Ipswich Town in the UK make him a potentially valuable and solid starting point for a team that is being built from scratch.

Brisbane Roar have been active in the transfer market and along with domestic players Harry Van Der Saag and Ben Warland, have added Marcus Ferkranus, a United States youth international who departs LA Galaxy. His quality will be an interesting watch considering the growth of the US league and a potential trigger for similar moves to Australia in the future for younger American players.

In another blow for the Jets, Olyroo Lucas Mauragis heads down the freeway to the Mariners, who have also secured the signature of Mikael Doka for another three seasons in what is a crucial move for the champions.

Despite off-field stresses, the Bulls have sought to add the talent required to pull them into serious contention for the coming season. Luke Brattan will add experience and poise in the midfield, yet it is the signature of former Melbourne City star Marin Jakolis that will have the growing fan base excited.

Having now officially departed his French club, the 27-year-old brings the touch of international class required by teams hoping to threaten for an A-League title.

Things have been much quieter at Melbourne City, with eight big names cut loose and only former Brisbane Roar defender and A-League All Star Kai Trewin having made the move there on a three-year deal.

At the time of writing, there is no news of acquisitions for Melbourne Victory, only the departure of Tony Popovic, which will certainly be holding up any moves considering the role the new coach will want to play in them.

It has been a big clean-out in Newcastle, with eleven men looking for a more competitive gig, despite the new ownership news, and former Melbourne Victory attacking midfielder Eli Adams, thus far, the most significant of the two moves the club has made to rebuild.

There will be far less news emanating from Perth in the coming months, as a strong nucleus has already been signed for 2024/25. Josh Risdon and Brandon O’Neill provide a backbone, yet Anas Hamzaoui is rumoured to be bringing the star quality in the form of an Under-18s Belgian international.

Now 27, Hamzaoui has a touch of class that Perth lacked last season and if he acclimatises well, will be a star of the A-League according to those behind his purchase.

Sydney FC continues to hold its powder dry, yet the departures of internationals Fabio Gomes, Jack Rodwell and Robert Mak suggest there will be almost certainly something big on the horizon. Expect Sydney to swoop with venom as Ufuk Talay begins to build the squad he wants and needs to get Sydney back into serious contention.

Whilst Wellington Phoenix have retained Kosta Barbarouses in an important move, the biggest transfer news for them is the loss of Alex Paulsen, who enters the Premier League with AFC Bournemouth.

The Wanderers are currently living in the same world as Victory, awaiting the announcement of a replacement for departing coach Marko Rudan, who left the club in a hurry in mid-May. The Wanderers are likely to be another late-comer to the party in terms of new signings, yet once the new coach is announced, expect a flurry.

Western United have scored a pre-season goal with the arrival of Hiroshi Ibusuki from Adelaide United, the best hold-up merchant in the A-League business in my view. 28 goals in 71 matches for the Reds proves his quality and now loving life in Australia, the 33-year-old looms as one of the buys of the season.

There will be plenty more to come in terms of signings over the coming weeks and we will keep you up to date at The Roar with all the wrangling and movement as things unfold.

Right now, Western, Macarthur FC and Perth look to have done some nice business, the other clubs might be playing catch-up, but will do so mighty quickly.