The moment Graham Arnold handed in his notice of resignation three months ago, Sydney FC's board began the first steps towards finding his successor. Previously they were reluctant to do so and put up a fight to keep their most successful coach until they moved back to a new stadium in Moore Park in 2020.

Graham Arnold at the press conference to announce his appointment as long-term Socceroos coach.

Chairman Scott Barlow offered Arnold an improved offer to remain for the foreseeable future. However rewarding the challenge, a club preparing for two years on the road as their stadium undergoes reconstruction along with a looming squad rebuild could not compete with the top job in Australian football, especially when there's nothing left to win domestically for Arnold.

“To be blunt, we didn’t want Graham to leave and we offered him a substantially bigger and longer contract to stay but the lure of coaching his country has ultimately proven too much. Having complied with the terms of his contract, we would not stand in his way," Barlow said.

From Sydney's perspective, Arnold's six-month notice to resign was already a victory – they had ensured their prized coach would remain at the helm through to the end of the season.