Dwight Yorke brushed by Singo
by Chris Wilson
news.com.au
Party boy ... Dwight Yorke says he is disappointed he could not make a return to the A-League this season. DWIGHT Yorke claims he has been snubbed by the Australian A-League as he prepares to return to "sunny Sunderland" in the English Premier League.
Yorke said his heart had been set on a return to the A-League with the Central Coast Mariners, claiming he was "hugely disappointed'' when the deal broke down last month at the final stage.
However, the Mariners maintain they never got past first base in negotiations because they couldn't afford the former Aston Villa and Manchester United star.
Known as 'All Night' Dwight during his championship-winning stint with Sydney FC, Yorke has been hitting Sydney's most exclusive bars, restaurants and golf courses over the past fortnight.
He will fly out of Sydney tomorrow and re-sign with Sunderland on more money than he could have earned in Australia.
While Yorke said friends had called him "crazy'', he was adamant Sunderland had always been his second choice.
"That would have been my ambition, to come back here,'' Yorke said.
"I felt this year would have been the year to come back and stamp my authority in terms of playing football and getting the football buzzing around Sydney again.''
Yorke was the face of the first A-League season and was prepared to come back for less than his previous $1million price tag. He said he had been in talks with the Mariners for a year and continued to drop his asking price.
Mariners benefactor John Singleton, who helped lure John Aloisi to the club last season, refused to comment on the situation when contacted by The Sunday Telegraph. But Yorke feels let down.
"My last conversation (with the Mariners) was, 'yeah, we'll get it sorted'. We looked at a figure that was reasonable for them, it wasn't great for me but I was prepared to come for that,'' Yorke said.
But Mariners chief executive Lyall Gorman said Yorke had always been "out of our realm''.
Talking in the penthouse bar atop Star City Casino, Yorke denied his return to Australia would have been all show and no go.
"Sunderland has offered me a contract because they know I can still produce it,'' Yorke said.
"I'm 36, there's no secret there. I'm coming to the end of my career, I'm looking for something with a bit more flavour - in terms of lifestyle, the weather, people and food. Sydney fits that bill.''
Unfortunately no A-League teams could match his.
