Eddies Bolstered By Didic Return

FC Edmonton fans will rejoice with the re-signing of Canadian international Amer Didic.

The 26-year-old centre-back returns as one of the league’s biggest defensive signings, with the Bosnia-born Edmonton local set to be a key figure at Clarke Stadium for the 2021 Canadian Premier League season.

The six-foot-four defender has made 23 appearances and scored three goals for the Eddies since he first arrived from Swope Park Rangers in April 2019, though he missed more than half of last year’s Island Games campaign after suffering an ankle injury in the side’s first match of the season.

He was a big loss for the Eddies, who ultimately went winless in the Charlotte-town based bubble tournament. Head Coach Jeff Paulus stepped down following the season, with new Eddies boss Alan Koch now having secured the majority of next season’s roster.

Amer is a modern-day centre-back with all the tools to be at the top of the game in this country. He missed a lot of the abridged 2020 season through injury, but we look forward to working with him to get him back on the pitch and to elevate his play to even higher levels. We expect him to be a big part of improving our defensive fortunes as a club this coming season.

Alan Koch

At the same time as his announcement, it has been confirmed that Didic has been called up to the national team for its January camp, marking the third time the six-foot-four defender has been called up by John Herdman since joining the Eddies. His first two caps came a year ago in friendlies against Barbados and Iceland, with Didic scoring against Barbados on his debut.

The Eddies defender trialed with the Whitecaps in early 2020, re-signing with the club shortly before preseason was originally set to begin ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year’s re-signing of Didic could see returning Spanish defender Ramon Soria deployed as a defensive midfielder, with Koch having stated earlier that his final position depended on further signings and pairings during the club’s transition into his new system.

The new head coach wants to instill a tiki-taka philosophy with an aggressive, attacking mentality. To do that, he’s aiming to compliment the returning Eddies with more dynamic players while improving their performances during set pieces, an area in which they’ve previously suffered.

Koch has also overseen the return of centre-back Mele Temguia and full-back Jeannot Esua, with Congolese left-back Sharly Mabussi being the only brand new defensive addition so far.

FC Edmonton has re-signed sixteen players for the 2021 Canadian Premier League season, including marquee signing Shamit Shome and intra-league transfer additions Kyle Porter and Fraser Aird, among other returning Eddies from The Island Games.

FC Edmonton did not disclose the length or financial details of Didic’s contract.