He’s not leaving.
Garang Kuol will officially be a Central Coast Mariner for two more seasons, with the 17-year-old signing his first professional contract at the club.
Despite weeks of speculation about his playing future and interest from teams across the world, the former Goulburn Valley Sun has chosen to remain at the club that shot him to national headlines.
Kuol said he was happy to be back playing soccer at the club that had done so much for his family.
“Monty (Mariners coach Nick Montgomery) and Serg (assistant coach Sergio Raimundo) have had belief in me since day one, which is something I will never forget,” Kuol said.
“Football is my number one goal in life so I just want to be playing consistently, and I am very excited to be here alongside a great bunch of boys and can’t wait for next season.”
Kuol outlined that the 2021/22 season was just the beginning, with the goal scorer keen to become a better player at the club.
Montgomery, who helped develop Kuol at the Mariners academy, said it was an exciting prospect to continue to work with the talented youngster.
“I brought Garang to the club as a 16-year-old into the academy program and what he has achieved in this short space of time doesn’t surprise me, as he is a massive talent,” he said.
Montgomery explained that while Kuol was a quiet kid off the field, he did his talking on it.
He said the youngster was lethal in front of goal and liked to go at defenders one on one.
“We saw that with the performances he produced off the bench at the back end of last season,” Montgomery said.
“Garang isn’t fazed by anything and is very level-headed, which is why he made Barcelona seem like an easy assignment and in the process, being an inspiration for all kids in this country.
“It gave our club great pride to see him make the match his own. I look forward to working with him for the next two years at the club and developing him further to become one of the A-League’s most exciting talents in a long time.”