They might have only come for a short holiday, but Sydney FC duo Jacques Faty and his cousin Mickael Tavares are keen to turn their stay in the city into a permanent one next season.

The Senegalese internationals are only here on injury-replacement deals but the duo have lived up to their reputations as seasoned European professionals, bringing a mixture of toughness and technique to the Sky Blues' rearguard.

Now Faty says they both want to stay in sky blue after their short-term contracts expire in May, although he knows he'll have to keep performing to persuade coach Graham Arnold to open the chequebook.

"My cousin and I feel very good at Sydney FC. We both want to stay. I think the ball is in the court of Sydney FC and the manager, if he wants me. I just have to keep playing well," Faty told Fairfax Media. "There's clubs in Europe that have asked us to come back. Even in China (where Faty played before coming to Australia), there are opportunities. But right now I'm giving the priority to Sydney FC because for the moment, they are my team. Sydney is a very amazing city. The stadium is nice, the training facilities are good, the teammates and my coach are great people. Really, I have nothing bad to say. What I want for now is to play these last games as well as I can – the four rounds and the playoffs – and to see what we can do."

Tavares has been widely lauded for his role in defensive midfield, often dropping into the last line, with Faty impressing in central defence when he hasn't been hampered by injury. He scored on his comeback to the senior team on Sunday against Wellington Phoenix at Westpac Stadium. "I'm not a striker, I'm a defender, and so I'm very happy when I score because I don't score a lot of goals. This goal is important for me because it's the first I scored since coming to Australia, in the A-League, and after three weeks injured it was a great way to come back," he said. "I was really happy with how I hit the ball – maybe it was because I used to play as a striker when I was young. Maybe I have an instinct to move like a forward."

The result has hoisted Sydney within touching distance of the Phoenix, who hold a slender lead over the chasing pack. The win has created a massive match-up with fellow title contender Adelaide United at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night, a game that will have major ramifications in how the top six unfolds.

"The whole team had a very good performance. All the team was together and this was very good for us. Even the players who came off the bench were very focused on this game because we knew how important it was to win," Faty said. "We wanted to go there and show them that we deserved to be fighting for top spot and that's exactly what we did. It was a great day."

Faty is a big fan of Arnold's style of management and appreciated the coach's decision to ease him back into the first team after coming back from a hamstring strain. "I could have come back earlier but it was the decision of the coach. He really wants to take care of me. He wants me to be ready for the last few games and the play-off and he doesn't want me to take any risks. It was nice that he thinks of me like this," Faty said. "He's a very good coach. Very diligent and respectful. He's an intelligent coach and he's just like some of coaches in Europe with his mentality. He's very clever."

The 31-year old insisted he would only get better with each game he plays from now on, believing that injuries and a lack of match practice have limited his contributions. "I promise you this has not been my best football yet – I have much higher levels and I want to show people what I can do and how well I can play," he said. "I have more to give in myself and for my team and that's going to come out in the next few weeks."