AS THE race to sign players for next season heats up, Sydney FC defender Iain Fyfe will decide in the next couple of weeks whether to take up an offer from Adelaide United to return home or stay put in the harbour city.
Fyfe, 26, has been with the club since the A-League began in 2005, playing more matches than anyone else for the Sky Blues, and this campaign has been one of his best for the club.
But with the arrival of Mitchell Prentice, Simon Colosimo and the return of Jacob Timpano, his starting position initially looked under threat, particularly when he was trialled out wide during the pre-season.
However, injuries to several players enabled Fyfe to return to centre-back and his excellent form had him mentioned as a potential candidate for the Socceroos' expanded squad for last month's match against Qatar.
Fyfe, out of contract in June, drew inevitable interest from South Australia, particularly as Adelaide's first-choice central defenders - Angelo Costanzo, Michael Valkanis and Sasa Ognenovski - will be 30 or older by next season.
Speculation suggests the Adelaide offer suitably reflects Fyfe's improved form, while Sydney - who have already been turned down once - are hoping to avoid an auction for his services.
Fyfe knows he's got some thinking to do before committing to the next stage of his career, which began as an 18-year-old with Adelaide City in 2000. "It's not that difficult, it's just … whether that's moving back to Adelaide or staying in Sydney. But I know I'll have to decide pretty soon," he said yesterday.
Asked whether he had a gut feeling about which way he'd go, Fyfe said it tended to vary each day, adding: "Yeah, I kind of do. I've weighed a lot of it up and sometimes I feel it would be more of a positive move to go back to Adelaide and then sometimes I feel I love the club I'm playing for and the boys we've got here.
"It's a tough decision but it's one I'm going to have to make soon, more so for the benefit of the clubs. I can't leave them in the lurch, I've got to let them know. It will be sorted out before Christmas, definitely, and hopefully a lot sooner than that."
After the defeat against Perth - a match in which Fyfe was sent off and subsequently suspended for two weeks - John Kosmina questioned whether some out-of-contract players had lost their focus. While no player was singled out, Fyfe said his commitment couldn't be questioned.
"I'm not going to let it affect my football and I'm not going to let anyone tell me that it's affecting my football because I know it's not. I'm just getting on with things and not making much of a fuss about it," he said.
"I'm big enough and ugly enough to stay focused and right now I'm enjoying my football and it's only a matter of time before we get firing again, so I'm just going to enjoy the season and probably make a choice in the next couple of weeks about what way I go."
While Fyfe admitted to being "annoyed" at how Perth Glory's Adrian Trinidad shamelessly feigned injury to have him sent off, he's equally frustrated at not winning his spot back in Sydney's starting XI for last Friday night's loss to Wellington Phoenix.
"I did expect to be back, to be honest. I was really disappointed. Prior to the sending-off, the four or five games before that I felt great, I was really comfortable at the back and developing a really good relationship with Poppa [Tony Popovic]," he said.
"As a back four, and with Clint Bolton behind us, we were pretty solid and understood each other. As soon as I got sent off, I was out on the park doing extra sessions, doing everything I could to raise my fitness. I was going to the gym by myself and doing extra running with our fitness trainer and even extra work with Kossie as well.
"I certainly expected to start but I have to respect the coach's decision, even if I don't agree with it. Hopefully I can get back in there soon."