Responsible for negotiating the three-year contract extension signed by besieged coach Marko Rudan in January, Bosnar has been part of the Wanderland backroom staff since being recruited at Rudan’s behest the beginning of 2022.

Bosnar, who traversed Europe and Asia as a player, hasn’t been sighted lately by players or staff, leading to talk of an abrupt exit.

With Rudan under pressure after a poor run of results, disciplinary issues with Football Australia and assertions he “no longer has the backing of his players’, Bosnar jumping ship appears emblematic of the festering discord under the head coach's reign.

Asked on Friday night to confirm whether he’d left Wanderers, Bosnar cryptically responded that his remit was “advising the board” and therefore he could not have “resigned” since he was never officially “working” for the club.

"I was never working for the club. I was advising the board, so I couldn't have resigned," he said via text.

In any event, three successive losses, preceded by Rudan’s recent referees rant, on top of a deteriorating relationship with his players, has placed the coach in an increasingly invidious position.

A source with knowledge of player sentiment damningly suggests Rudan has lost the backing of his dressing room, his purported blast at goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas after Tuesday's shattering 7-0 loss to Melbourne City providing further illustration of the divide between squad and manager.

Rudan is understood to have berated Thomas over his joining Australia at the Asian Cup as a third choice keeper in preference to remaining in the A-League, telling him his performance in the Melbourne City debacle was a direct consequence of answering the call of his country.

With Wanderers tumbling out of the top six, another loss on the road in Perth on Saturday will only intensify the scrutiny on Rudan, whose team made the finals in his first full season only to be sent packing by Sydney FC.

The source told FTBL: “It’s clear the players no longer want to play for the coach - the relationship has broken down quite badly.

“The argument with Lawrence Thomas was indicative of that. Wanderers have everything to be successful in terms of their resources but right now it’s not working.

“A lot of players are looking to leave and have been calling their agents. It’s not an enjoyable place to be.

“A lot of people are bemused at the length of the contract extension given to Rudan. It makes little sense. Nobody knows what’s going to happen next.”

Rudan’s no-show at the post-match media conference on Tuesday raised further ire, with his stand-in, assistant Jean-Paul de Marigny, left to face the inquisition.

De Marigny has also signposted his intention to depart at season’s end. Whether Rudan can ride out the storm will likely be determined by Wanderers’ results in the coming weeks, and whether they can qualify for the finals.