Jets coach Arthur Papas believes the signing of Perth Glory skipper Brandon O'Neill not only fills a pivotal role for Newcastle but also makes a statement about the A-League club.
O'Neill is considered one of the best defensive midfielders in the A-League - a strong ball-winner with a good passing range.
It is a position where the Jets were lacking in their first season under Papas, who was never able to fill the void left when Cameron Devlin departed in pre-season.
"It's a big signing for us," Papas said. "It's a key-position player in a position in particular that we struggled to cover last year after the loss of Cameron Devlin before we began.
"Brandon is a really experienced player. He played for the national team, captained his teams, has won things before and really suits the type of football that we try to play and type of dressing-room environment we want to have as well."
The 28-year-old has one cap for the Socceroos and spent five seasons with Sydney between 2015 and 2020. He played in Asia before returning to Perth, where he started his A-League career.
O'Neill played just 10 matches last season before dislocating his shoulder and secured an early release one year into a three-year contract with Perth.
"It just shows the progression we've made over 12 months, that someone like Brandon wants to come and play for the Newcastle Jets," Papas said. "Probably 12 months ago, that wouldn't have been such an easy signature to secure.
"But a lot of good work has been put in over 12 months, not just on the field but in terms of the way we're trying to go about things as a club.
"I'm really excited to have Brandon come across and I think our fans will be excited as well because he is one of the best defensive midfielders [in the league] and in my opinion can still get better.
"He's got a lot of ambition still. He's coming at the age of 28, which is really the peak of his career. The discussions were around wanting to be part of an environment that can challenge him and give him the best opportunity to be the best version of himself."
The Jets announced during the week that Sammy Silvera, Brandon Wilson and Riley Warland would not be at the club next season as Papas opted for a smaller squad with more high-end players.
O'Neill is the first confirmed Jets signing as Papas reshapes a squad he hopes will push for finals in his second year at the helm.
"There's a lot of work that's being done in the background and, now we're that in a much stronger position operationally as well to get things moving, I think there will be a lot of things that will start to come out prior to pre-season beginning and they're really exciting," Papas said.
"We've tried to improve certain areas. One of those is obviously Brandon as a No.6. That was a key priority. Other areas are just to become a quicker team and a more aggressive team as well in the front third and I think we've done some good business in that area as well."
