The Rise and Rise and Rise of Alex Paulsen, From Wellington Phoenix to AFC Bournemouth
Twelve months ago, Alex Paulsen had just wrapped up an A-League season in which he sat on the bench for every single game without playing a minute. One year later, he’s just wrapped up an A-League season in which he played every single game without missing a minute. That season also happened to be the Wellington Phoenix’s best ever and not only did he clean up at the club awards, he did the same at the league awards. Goalkeeper of the Year, Young Player of the Year shared with Nestory Irankunda (who is off to Bayern Munich next), Fan’s Player of the Year Plus he bagged PFA Team of the Year and ALM All Star selections (nobody got more All Star votes... though Nix fans spammed those things all season so that was to be expected). And now, in case that wasn’t already enough, he’s gone and gotten a transfer to an English Premier League club.
The Transfer
There it is. After such a spectacular season with the Phoenix, there should have been little doubt that some pretty significant clubs would be interested in his services. As it happens, it barely took a fortnight before an English Premier League club swooped in with a record Wellington Phoenix transfer fee to take the A-League’s best goalkeeper into the upper echelons.
The rumours also included interest from Liverpool and Chelsea, as well as an unnamed Belgian club (remember that the Nix sold Liberato Cacace to Belgium), but it was AFC Bournemouth who came through with the money. It’s understood that the fee is around an initial £850,000 and could rise to as much as £2million depending on add-ons. Those add-on things can entail anything from making one first team appearance to winning the Ballon d’Or. In this case, with an unproven youngster from the other side of the world, we’re probably looking more towards the former than the latter... but hey who knows.
Now, it should be specified that Bournemouth are owned by Bill Foley who also pulls the purse strings for the incoming Auckland FC team in the A-League. Don’t anticipate anything on that count though. Paulsen’s already shown he’s beyond the ALM and going back on loan to Auckland FC is not going to progress his career in any way. The Foley Enterprise has better loan options in Hibernian (Scotland) and Lorient (France) if that’s the plan. Let’s also not forget that one of the first Auckland signings announced was goalkeeper Michael Woud so it’s not like they need another gloveman. Not to mention the small matter of it being an illegal ploy ever since Manchester City bought Anthony Caceras from Central Coast Mariners and then loaned him immediately back to Melbourne City. You’re not allowed to do that anymore.
It wouldn’t make sense anyway. Paulsen is Bournemouth’s first signing ahead of the 2024-25 season and they’ve spent some decent coin on him (by A-League standards – remember that transfer fees are relative to market demand, not the player’s talent). They’ve also given his arrival a spotlight on the club website and socials. That’s not usually how you behave around a draft-and-stash type of transfer. Consider this quote from AFC Bournemouth chief executive Neill Blake as further evidence...
Mr Blake: “We're very pleased to secure Alex's services. He's an exciting prospect with so much potential, and his development has been clear for all to see during an excellent season in the A-League. We look forward to welcoming Alex to Bournemouth in early July, where we plan to introduce him to Andoni [Iraola] and the rest of the team before he departs for what will be a great opportunity to represent his country at the Olympics.”
Andoni Iraola is the men’s first team manager at Bournemouth. 41 years old from Spain, he spent most of his playing career at Athletic Bilbao and was capped seven times by his national team. He got the Bournemouth gig ahead of last season after getting Rayo Vallecano promoted back to La Liga and then took the Cherries to 12th place with a club-record points tally (48pts). The CEO declared that Iraola and the rest of the team will be introduced to Paulsen before he leaves for the Olympics. That means two things: 1) He’s going to the Olympics and this opportunity won’t get in the way of that, and 2) He’s being eyed as a first-teamer, though whether that’s immediate or down the line is another matter. Bourney didn’t make mention of this but it’s understood that his contract is for four years.
The AFC Bournemouth Environment
The Cherries used three different goalies in the Premier League last season with a couple more under contract. Brazilian glovemaestro Neto was the main dude, appearing in 32 of their 38 games. Mark Travers played four times and Andrei Radu played twice, while Will Dennis and Darren Randolph were also on the books (Dennis spent the season on loan with Kilmarnock in Scotland). Additionally they signed 17yo Scottish youth international Callum McKenna on deadline day of the January transfer window, while academy keeper Cameron Plain was also listed in their wider EPL squad.
Lots of competition but there is murkiness in this situation which should work in Paulsen’s favour. Let us clarify further. For starters, Andrei Radu (Romanian international) was signed on loan from Inter Milan because Mark Travers (Irish international) had gone out on loan at Stoke City in the Championship. Radu’s two EPL games for the club both came early in the season, the last being a 6-1 defeat away to Manchester City in November. But then an ankle injury to Neto led them to recall Travers, whose performances were instrumental in getting Bourney promoted only for him to lose his starting spot to Neto once they got to the Prem, and the chat was that Radu would return to Internazionale in January... except that he didn’t. But obviously he has done now. Meanwhile poor old Darren Randolph (also an Irish international) has yet to play a game for the club and since he’s off contract at age 37 he probably never will. All the while 23yo homegrown prospect Will Dennis was impressing with Kilmarnock. Hence it’s Neto, Travers, and Dennis who are the immediately roadblocks for AP.
The thing with Neto is that he’s a very good shot-stopper but he ain’t so great with the ball at his feet. Like any goalie, there are some saves that he doesn’t make... yet on the whole he prevents a lot more than he concedes. Not great against crosses though still gets off his line when he needs to. Only a 65% pass completion rate. That’s largely on account of the errant long balls. He has copped some criticism from the fans at times yet he also gets praise for being a leader within the squad. In fact, he captained the side whenever he was available last season. Neto is 34 years old and has previously spent seasons with Juventus and Barcelona, albeit as a backup. He’s got one cap for Brazil.
Paulsen’s ball-playing would be a handy attribute for this Bournemouth side but it’d be getting way too far ahead of ourselves to start pondering him actually playing Premier League games so soon. Gotta at least see how preseason shapes up before making any guesses as to where AP sits on that depth chart. He’s definitely a chance at sticking around with the main squad, although it might be that they prefer a loan in year one. Especially given how young he is for a goalkeeper (forty GKs took the pitch in the EPL last season and only two were born after 2000). Best to leave it in the cryptic words of the man himself. Make of this what you will...
Alex Paulsen: “Yes, we’ve discussed an action play and I’d like to reiterate it’s a four year deal and they wouldn’t be giving me this four year deal without a potential opportunity or an action plan invested in me. There’s discussions with that action plan and what it looks like.”
Paulsen’s Journey
While the ‘what a year for Alex Paulsen’ narratives are accurate, they do miss the point that he didn’t exactly rise out of nowhere. This bloke may have had a tough A-League campaign last time but that was as a 20-year-old goalkeeper. Not exactly overdue at that point of his career. The bloke who kept him on the bench, Oli Sail, could tell you all about that... he had to wait much longer for a crack at the starter’s position at the Wellington Phoenix. Nah, the thing about Alex Paulsen is that he’s been one of the absolute premier emerging talents from Aotearoa since he was in his mid-teens.
Paulsen is originally from Auckland, after his parents moved there from South Africa (his mother is Namibian, father South African). He played his youth football at Onehunga Sports before joining the Wellington Phoenix Academy as a 15-year-old. His older brother Adam Paulsen is a futsal international for New Zealand.
Alex was already in the picture for the NZ U16s when he joined the Nix Academy, which took him into the Oceania U16s Championship in 2018, and it was there that he first announced himself as a bloke to watch in a dramatic final against the host nation Solomon Islands. The Solomons had won 5-0 against NZ in the group stage in a stunning upset (Paulsen didn’t play that game), but by the time they met again in the final the kiwi side had acclimatised.
This was a brilliant atmosphere with a 12,000-strong crowd roaring for anything positive in the home side’s favour. That might have disrupted some of the kiwi finishing, although it’s fair to say that this also wasn’t one of NZ’s stronger waves beyond of a few superb individuals. Paulsen being one of those. Marko Stamenic and Matthew Garbett too. Ben Old was an unused substitute for the final while Oskar van Hattum came off the bench. Anyway, Paulsen needed to be at the top of his game and he was, making an array of impressive saves. None of those was more important than the penalty he saved against Solomon wonder kid Rafael Lea’i right at the end of regulation time... except perhaps the one he saved in the shootout as the NZers won 5-4 on spotties after a 0-0 draw.
This was the first time where FIFA allowed two Oceania entrants to the U17 World Cup so NZ still would’ve qualified either way. The Solomons did – although an overage player scandal almost cost them their spot. Regardless, it was a spectacular performance from Paulsen as a 16-year-old which carries many parallels to what he did with the Wellington Phoenix six years later (except for the shanky goal kick that led to the penalty concession... he’s tidied that up and then some). Paulsen went on to captain New Zealand at that 2019 U17 World Cup where they met Angola (2-1 loss), Brazil (3-0 loss), and Canada (1-0 win... courtesy of a Matt Garbett goal).
Two years later he was the starting keeper for the Phoenix Reserves where his magical saves were a weekly thrill during a difficult National League campaign for the WeeNix (finishing bottom of the table). It was enough for him to win the league’s MVP award. Which, in fairness, is not an award that should go to the best player from the worst team. There was a deeply flawed opposition vote scheme in place at the time. It is what it is. But Paulsen’s heroics were legitimate and that reserve team campaign made it abundantly clear that Paulsen was a special prospect.
The pandemic meant that he missed out on his U20 World Cup wave, though he did get picked as a travelling reserve for the 2021 Olympic Games. From that point onwards he was a first team player with the Phoenix. He made his A-League debut in place on an injured Oli Sail in the first half of a 2-1 loss to Sydney FC early in the 2021-22 season and would go on to make four appearances that season – three during Sail’s injury absence and another which clashed with Sail being away with the All Whites. Already mentioned that he didn’t get a game in 2022-23... but that season’s Australia Cup did provide some more of those penalty-savin’ shenanigans that we’ve come to love from Alex Paulsen.
Then Oli Sail left for Perth Glory and coach Ufuk Talay left for nowhere in particular (ending up at Sydney FC midseason). Giancarlo Italiano became the new head coach, promoted from being Talay’s assistant, and brought with him an even greater emphasis on the club’s academy. In hindsight there was never any doubt that he was going to pick Paulsen as the new number one. However, at the time we did have to wonder whether Aussie veteran Jack Duncan was being brought in for that purpose.
Nope. What Italiano did was actually perfect for the situation. He signed a league-average goalkeeper with heaps of experience in Duncan and he kept him as the example for Paulsen to measure himself against throughout preseason. If the unproven Paulsen was ready to be an above-average keeper at this level, in other words if he outperformed Duncan, then the starting jersey was his. If not then he had a clear marker for where he needed to get to. In the end, it was no competition. Not only was Paulsen better than average, he was the best. He was Mr Tahi. There was none better.
The Best Goalkeeper In The A-League
Ruben Parker, the goalkeeping coach at the Welly Nix, spoke in AP’s farewell press conference about how he knew that Paulsen had this huge potential but was curious how long it would take to show it as an A-League starter. Then Paulsen made a flying one-handed save five minutes into the first game and he realised he was already there. Years of hard work and dedication culminating just like that. Paulsen made a trio of crucial penalty saves in those early rounds and continued to tally up the clean sheets the whole way through on his way to A-League Goalkeeper of the Year honours.
Paulsen conceded 26 goals from 27 games during the regular season, at a league-best rate of 0.96 per ninety minutes (28 from 28 including finals – though the extra time game still keeps him under 1.00)
Paulsen’s save percentage was a whopping 80.9%, not only was that the best in the ALM but it was almost six points better than Danny Vukovic in second-place (75.0%)
According to Fotmob, Paulsen is credited with 12.9 goals prevented, comfortably clear of Filip Kurto’s 9.6 in second place (and Kurto conceded 22 more goals than AP)
Paulsen played every minute for a team that conceded 28 goals from 39.6 xGA – with his Nix team allowing the second-most shots against yet the fewest number of goals
Here is the map of all the shots on target that he faced last season (notice only 2/40 shots on target from outside the area went in)...
Alex Paulsen himself has identified his height as a major weakness in his game, particularly when it comes to claiming crosses and aerials...
“It was very difficult. It was such a mentally fatiguing and draining time for me last season because I set out the goal of at least getting a couple of games. Although it didn’t happen it probably was for the best because I’ve been able to ask my coach Ruben (Parker) how I can improve. I had the time to train and focus on my weaknesses so when I did get the opportunity, I was able to take advantage of it. Because I’m not the tallest of goalkeepers, I’m six foot, so it doesn’t really help me to come claim crosses. I’ve worked a lot on trying to make sure I’m in the right position for crosses, how I can be dominant and change my mind set to be assertive. That’s still one of my weaker areas but I’m improving.”
Despite that he was very good when it came to high claims, one of the better ALM goalies in that aspect as well. He’s got long arms which helps make up for the perceived lack of height, plus his instincts and anticipation are so good that it doesn’t really matter.
More pertinent issues would be how he operates outside his area. The Phoenix played a very deep backline so this wasn’t something that was often asked of him. The accuracy of his long passes is also something that still needs work. His short passing is immaculate and he’s flawless under pressure but the longer punts didn’t always hit the mark. Not that the Nix had much to aim for since their best hold-up striker, Oskar Zawada, was out injured for 75% of the season. Still, he could be more precise. This also applies to those sneaky chips to the fullbacks – every world class keeper needs that tool in their toolbox. And Alex Paulse will almost certainly get there with a little more development - that’s hardly a skill from outside his wheelhouse.
The National Team Stocks
The Wellington Phoenix will be fine without him. There’ll be a drop-off but they can easily make up for that by simply scoring a few more goals. Having said that, there’s no telling whether Paulsen will be the only academy graduate sold this offseason. Finn Surman, Ben Old, and Sam Sutton should all be in that conversation as well. But the Nix are built for this. No dramas. Maybe Jack Duncan gets re-signed and becomes the number one as a reward for his role in Paulsen’s development. Maybe Alby Kelly-Heald gets shown a vote of confidence as the next man up from the reserves. Maybe they look elsewhere in the A-League or at someone like, say, Nik Tzanev who is currently without a club. There are import spots available too.
Tzanev would be a fascinating one because of the national team implications. The All Whites have had a few frisky years of goalkeeping during which nobody made an undisputed claim for the number one status. In the six years since Anthony Hudson left (Huddo loved himself some Stefan Marinovic), the AWs have played 31 games and the most common starting goalie has been Oli Sail with nine starts. Marinovic and Woud have six each. Max Crocombe, the current frontrunner, has five (plus the abandoned Qatar game). Then there was one start each for Nik Tzanev and Jamie Searle.
Max Crocombe has nudged his way to the front of the pack under Darren Bazeley but he’s not always been easily available due to his EFL League One commitments with Burton Albion where international breaks are not always adhered to (as with Paulsen, Crocs was his club’s Player of the Year in 2023-24). There’s little doubt that Alex Paulsen will make his All Whites debut soon, probably within two weeks with the Oceania Nations Cup coming around the bend. Meanwhile Michael Woud’s Auckland FC gig has put him back in the mix. Tzanev to the Nix would do similar things. Oli Sail didn’t have his best season with Perth Glory but he’s not going anywhere. It’s not so easy to pick a clear top three.
And it’s only going to get more difficult because Alex Paulsen isn’t the only kiwi keeper on the rise. He isn’t even the only one who just made it to the Premier League. Henry Gray’s Ipswich Town just got promoted. Whether HG hangs around as a third-choice or if he goes out on loan we shall see. Same situation as with Paulsen, except he got there in a more subtle manner. Over in Sweden, Kees Sims has gotten some games for GAIS in the top flight of the Swedish stuff having transferred there in January. He and Paulsen are the same age, have come through the same national youth teams, and were even National League teammates at the WeeNix (when Sims’ Ole Academy joined forced with the Phoenix Academy for that one season).
Don’t forget that Scott Morris is at Stoke City in the English Championship. Zac Jones has re-signed with Haverfordwest County in the Welsh top flight. Matt Gould has done the same with Altrincham in the English fifth tier. Cameron Hogg is with Trollhättan in the Swedish third tier. Those last three are too low down the charts to be challenging for national team honours as things stand but it paints a picture of the depth available. Not that Paulsen is in the depth category. He’s up top with Crocombe slugging it out for starts. Weird thing to think about a bloke who remains uncapped at the time of writing but it’s like they say in showbusiness: when you’ve got it you’ve got it.
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