Flying Kiwis – July 9
Anna Leat – Aston Villa (English Super League)
She’s going nowhere!
Despite rumours a few months ago that Leat was on the verge of leaving Aston Villa at the end of her contract, she’s ended up re-signing after all. Contracted for the 2024-25 season with an option to extend that for a further year. Leat has made 22 appearances across all competitions for the Villans, with 14 of those coming in the WSL. Numbers that are soon to rise.
There are quite a few moving parts here. Around the same time as Leat was rumoured to be leaving, there was gossip that Daphne van Domselaar, the AVFC number one, was being courted by Arsenal. Nothing’s happened there yet but Arsenal did miss out on Mary Earps (who left Manchester United to join PSG), while both of Arsenal’s backups have left – including Sabrina D'Angelo who was rumoured to Aston Villa. They still need a goalie and van Domselaar might still be available.
DVD missed the end of last season with a hip injury which gave Leat a chance to potentially audition for the starter’s gloves and, outside of one embarrassing red card, she seemed to so admirably. Even if DVD stays there’s a chance that Leat could get the gloves ahead of her in week one. The fact that she’s re-signed definitely seems to suggest that may be the case because she’s ready to be a starter somewhere and should have been able to get that opportunity elsewhere had she chosen to leave.
Aston Villa’s Head of Women’s Football, Lee Billiard: “Anna has progressed significantly since joining the club two years ago. Despite her age, she is a key player in our goalkeeping unit and has gained invaluable experience with us in the last couple of seasons. We look forward to supporting that growth even further during the 2024/2025 campaign.”
This news also came mere days after it was announced that Robert de Pauw would be the new AVFC manager, following Carla Ward’s departure. De Pauw joins from Bayer Leverkusen although he also has a history as a youth coach within his native Netherlands. As it happens, van Domselaar is also Dutch which could be seen a bad omen... but that won’t matter if DVD isn’t at the club when preseason begins.
Up Next: The Villans say that Leat will report back for preseason once she’s done at the Olympics
Nik Tzanev – Northampton Town (English League One)
Released by AFC Wimbledon after spending the bulk of his senior career there - much of it waiting for an opportunity amidst loan outs, then a couple years as an impressive starter, then one last year sitting on the bench behind a younger loanee – Nik Tzanev has now joined Northampton Town in England’s League One. That’s a division above what he was doing backup duties at last term, albeit a level he’s very accustomed to from before the Dons got relegated.
Northampton Town finished fourteenth in League One last term to consolidate their place in the division a year after promotion. They’re one of the older clubs still in existence with the ability to trace their origins back to the nineteenth century, yet they’ve only spent one solitary season in the top division since World War 2 (that was the 1965-66 campaign – so immediately after they were relegated, England won the World Cup for the only time). Good history. Good opportunity. Good news.
NTFC manager Jon Brady: “We were looking to bring another senior keeper in to the squad this season and we are pleased to welcome Nik. He is a good size with a good presence and has a decent amount of experience under his belt, and James Alger rates him highly. Nik will come in to complement, support and challenge Lee Burge and his arrival strengthens and adds a little more experience to our goalkeeping department. It also allows us to look at a loan for James Dadge, if we wish, to further his development by playing week in, week out. We have a very proud record of developing and improving goalkeepers over the last few years at this club and we welcome Nik to the group.”
“Complement”, “support”, and “challenge” are words that sound very much like Tzanev will be the back-up goalkeeper for the Cobblers. But if you’re going to be a back-up, it’s better to do so a division upwards, right? Max Crocombe joined Burton Albion as a backup this time a year ago and it didn’t take him long to change that situation, going on to win the club’s Player of the Year honour. But, yeah, Northampton Town only just signed 31yo Lee Burge to a one-year extension and he’s been the number one at the club for the past two campaigns. Tzanev’s going to have to oust him if he wants regular games... but that’s no drama. This is still another progressive transfer for a kiwi goalkeeper... and there have been a lot of those lately.
Up Next: The League One term begins with Bristol Rovers vs Northampton Town at 4.30am on 11 August (NZT)
Joe Bell – Viking FK (Norwegian Eliteserien)
Another good win for Viking. They beat KFUM Oslo 2-1 away from home despite conceding first from a 22nd minute counter-attack finished by Petter Dahl... and despite also losing their star player Zlatko Tripic to injury soon after that concession. The entire first half was a forgettable but then the second half began with an early chance for VFK when Bell lifted a long ball over the top for one of his forwards to get a head on. The header was easily saved but it signalled a flip in the game. Peter Christiansen would hit the crossbar for the Vikes after 65 minutes. Sondre Langås hit the post with a header off a Bell free kick. They deserved a goal and they finally got one in the 81st minute when the KFUM keeper palmed a long shot from Sander Svensen into the top corner. Then Harald Tangen glanced home a smooth header in the 85th minute and there ya go.
Tough win. Valuable win. Viking now sit comfortably in fourth with games in hand that could now send them as high as second after Brann were thrashed 5-1 by Bodø/Glimt (after getting a tenth minute red card). Like most of them, Bell was off the pace in the first half but then more than made up for that with an excellent second forty-five. Overall he completed 71/88 passes, won three tackles, was fouled three times, and had more touches of the football than any other player on the pitch. Might just mention that former-NZ representative Gianni Stensness had a very good game at centre-back too.
Up Next: Viking vs Kristiansund at 3am on Sunday (NZT)
Norman Garbett - Dundalk (League of Ireland Premier Division)
Last week he signed, this week he debuted. In off the bench for Dundalk in their match against Shamrock Rovers, given ten minutes at the end to try and salvage something with his team trailing 1-0. His first involvement saw him get bumped off by a defender... but from that point onwards he showed some nifty steps as a left-footed right-winger... and we already knew he had that Garbett whanau pace. Plenty of encouragement on display from Norman Garbett even though Dundalk weren’t able to find that equaliser they were searching for.
NG: “Yeah I thought I did alright. The gaffer just told me: Impact the game, and the boys told me as well. Impact the game, do what you can. The fans were great, they got behind us, especially at the end there they were making a lot of noise and, yeah, more to come from all of us.”
Garbett only had about a week in town to prepare for this, his senior professional debut. He was actually the fourth club Dundalk debutant in this game after the club really went hard in the mid-season transfer window to try and boost their stocks. Garbs has already gotten the fans buzzing with what he’s shown so far. Give him a bit longer next week and see what happens. Here are the highlights from the game.
Elsewhere in Ireland, Sligo Rovers came from a goal down against Derry City to win 2-1 thanks to an Ellis Chapman penalty (62’) and then an Ellis Chapman solo special (89’) on the counter attack for the winner. Magnificent dribble past a couple of defender then coolly slotting past the keeper... though let it be known that the move began with a Nando Pijnaker block at the other end (and then a smart pass to split the counter-press and begin the attack). You know that that means: two wins from two since Nando Pijnaker returned from injury. Sligo Rovers did finish the game with ten men after JR Wilson was sent off in stoppage time. Second yellow for a retaliation. Funnily enough, that bloke’s brother was also sent off for Shelbourne in the same weekend. Sort of like the time that former Sligo Rovers forward Max Mata scored his first goal for Shrewsbury Town on the same weekend that his brother Ben won the NZ National League with Wellington Olympic... except with slightly more violence.
Up Next: Dundalk vs Drogheda at 6.45am on Saturday (NZT)
Alex Greive – Bohemian FC (League of Ireland Premier Division)
But wait, there’s more! Garbett and Pijnaker will not be alone in the League of Ireland Premier Division...
As had been rumoured for a couple of weeks, Alex Greive has joined Bohemians and he’s done so on a multi-year contract. He was already following the club on Instagram which is usually a tell, plus his former Dundee United teammate Archie Meekison had joined the club ahead of him. This follows Greive’s release from St Mirren at the conclusion of his contract. He spent the last six months of that out on loan with Dundee United helping them get promoted but he didn’t quite have the impact there required to trade that in for a permanent deal, not helped by the fact he missed the last month with injury.
So Ireland it is. This is a drop in standards from the Scottish Premiership, no doubt about that, but after being stuck playing off the bench for so much of his professional career to date it hopefully means he’ll get plenty of minutes and score a few goals as well. He’s not a prolific goal-scorer, he’s too unselfish for that, but after eight goals in 63 league apps for St Mirren and one goal in 13 for Dundee Utd that’s a record that could do with some improving. The sub spots skew the impression there, it works out to around a goal every 300 minutes in a St Mirren jersey. Bohemians should lean on him a whole lot more than those teams did so we’ll see if he can have a Max Mata type of impact.
Alan Reynolds, Bohs manager: “I am delighted to get Alex on board. He’s quick, he’s sharp and he is going to be a real handful for defenders. Alex can play anywhere across the front three and we have had him in training over the past couple of days and I’ve been very impressed by him. Like everyone else who comes in during this window, he will need a little bit of time to get up to speed but he has been away with the New Zealand squad recently so he is in good shape. The squad is already looking a lot stronger now than it did a number of weeks ago and we are looking forward to getting all the new lads involved as soon as possible.”
One pesky detail here... as things stand, Sligo Rovers are sixth out of ten teams, Bohemians are eighth. Dundalk are ninth. Last place gets relegated, second-to-last has to do a playoff. The middle of the table is pretty congested so Sligo could easily move their way up with a couple more good results, while Bohs have the benefit of a few games in hand that could actually send them ahead of Sligo if they take full advantage. In fact, those two play each other this week so Greive’s debut could come against the bro Nando Pijnaker. But, yeah, it’s all lower-half stuff for the kiwis in Ireland right now. Dublin-based Bohemian FC does have a proud history of success though, having competed in Europe as recently as the 2021-22 Europa Conference League qualifiers. They have 11 LOI championships to their name with the most recent coming in 2009. It’ll be up to Alex Greive and his new mates to try and recapture that old glory.
AG: “I was aware that Bohs are one of the biggest clubs in Ireland so once I heard they were looking at me, I was very interested. I’ve had good conversations with the gaffer about what he wants to achieve here and I am really looking forward to being a part of that. I feel I am an energetic player and very hard working, I like to get in behind defenders and cause them problems, and I want to help get the club to where it wants to be. I know Nando Pijnaker (Sligo Rovers) and Max Mata (former Sligo Rovers) from the New Zealand set-up and I know from them how good the standard is in the league here, so I am looking forward to the challenge. I know Archie from being with Dundee United last season too and Jake Carroll from when we were both in Glasgow so there are a few familiar faces at the club already. I’ve trained with the team the last two days and have really enjoyed it. There is a great set-up here and the manager is ambitious, and I am really looking forward to getting started now.”
By the way, he’s got a decent chunk of Aotearoa lineage to live up to at this club, get a load of this glamorous quartet...
Up Next: Saturday at 6.45am, Bohemians vs Sligo Rovers (NZT)
Hannah Blake – Durham FC (English Championship)
And still the transfers keep coming. After a year and a half in the A-League (first with Perth Glory, then an unfortunate season with a struggling Adelaide United side), Hannah Blake has joined Durham in the English second tier for their upcoming season. Born in London, Blake has often spoken of a desire to play in England at some stage and now the 24 year old has made it happen. She recently spent some time training at a private academy in Manchester, now she’s found herself a little further north.
This is a division that’s increasingly becoming popular with kiwi players. Last season the Championship was won by Crystal Palace with Ria Percival in tow. Katie Kitching was a key played for third-placed Sunderland. Jacqui Hand played for Lewes, who sadly got relegated (and have since announced that Natalie Lawrence will be taking over as head coach in the third tier). And both Grace Neville and Paige Satchell were with London City Lionesses (while Olivia Page made the bench a few times for Sheffield United). A few of those names are now free agents, but it’s okay because Hannah Blake’s here to cover the distance – following the model of Satchell by moving from the A-League to the Championship.
Hannah Blake: “I’m really excited to be playing in England. Being born here and doing a full-circle, now coming back to play, playing in the Championship has been an aspiration of mine for awhile now so I ‘m exciting to have taken that next step.”
Blake has six caps for the Football Ferns but they’ve been spread out over a few years (she debuted as a 17yo back in 2017) and was part of the wider training camp prior to the World Cup but clearly it was going to take an overseas move to get into that side more regularly. That’s another benefit to this move. Durham finished ninth last season (out of 12 teams), though they’ve already been helped by Reading’s withdrawal meaning that only one team will be relegated in 2024-25.
Up Next: Straight into it with preseason
Gabi Rennie - Åland United (Finnish Kansallinen Liiga)
Are we counting this as an assist for Gabi Rennie?
Probably not. It was her press that led to the turnover but it looks like she didn’t actually touch the ball. Officially there was no assist credited on the Kansallinen website. Okay, so we settle for Rennie’s non-statistical impact in a wonderful goal – scored by Aada Törröseltä from a good thirty metres out – that just so happened to prove the winning goal as Åland United beat Ilves 1-0. Good way to bounce back after consecutive defeats against KuPS last week (losing 3-2 in the league then 2-1 in the cup). This result reinforces their position in fourth on the ladder.
Rennie played 80 minutes before being substituted... she’s got 4 goals and 4 assists after 11 league appearances (plus another two goals in the cup), though they’re going to have to get used to playing without her because the Finnish stuff doesn’t break for the Olympics. There’s no game next week so this will have been the last game for Rennie before travelling to Paris (the Ferns face Zambia in a friendly on Sunday NZT). She’ll definitely miss three games. Maybe four if we do something freakish and get out of the group.
Up Next: Rennie’s second Olympic Games
Ali Riley - Angel City FC (American National Women’s Soccer League)
The NWSL is about to take a break for several weeks around the Olympic Games (although there are some NWSL x LigaMX games in that time), so all the teams are honouring their selected Olympians in this final round of action prior to the event. That affects three different kiwi players... although none of them actually played this round. Milly Clegg didn’t make the cut for Racing Louisville’s match so she’s heading to Paris still without a club debut. Abby Erceg did play that game and will get a mention next... but of course she’s retired from internationals. Meanwhile, Macey Fraser missed a second straight game for Utah Royals due to her ankle knock – hopefully that was just a precaution ahead of the Olympics. She’s got a few extra weeks to recover before that begins.
As for Ali Riley, she was able to get back into training with the Angel City squad ahead of their game against Gotham FC. That allowed her to slip onto the substitute’s list... though when current left-back Gisele Thompson was injured (in the process of winning a penalty) it wasn’t Riley that they called upon. She ended up an unused substitute and still has not played for Angel City since the end of April. Just 262 minutes combined across the season. Her last start came in March. She played one game for the Football Ferns in that time but only one game.
Angel City lost 2-1 to Gotham. Rose Lavelle (16’) and Delanie Sheehan (40’) each finished off spectacular team moves for Gotham, before Claire Emslie pulled one back from that aforementioned penalty (69’). There was to be no equaliser. ACFC had their smallest crowd of the season as they lost their third match in a row. Riley did the press conference afterwards and was able to shed some light on her injury issues, mentioning that: “this has been an injury that I haven’t been able to step off and rest and come back. I’ve been grinding every day. Some days I feel good, some days I don’t. I am a lot better now and it was a huge blessing to be back in the squad tonight”.
She also spoke of her gratitude to the ACFC and NZ medical teams, how she’s trying to “empower” teammates whilst being unable to play, her desire to be out on the pitch in Paris as much as possible, her intention to play at least one more season... and her acknowledgement that she’s “pretty sure” this will be her last Olympics. Apparently Angel City organised for a haka to be performed in Riley’s honour after the game (by an American-based Maori cultural group, thankfully) though if that happened there doesn’t seem to be video of it.
Up Next: Olympic endeavours
Abby Erceg – Racing Louisville (American National Women’s Soccer League)
It was going fine at half-time. Racing Louisville were 1-0 up after a lovely finish from Reilyn Turner on the spin from just inside the box. Choice stuff. Better yet because it was Abby Erceg who fizzed that ball low into Turner’s feet so we’d be talking about an Erceg assist had Marisa DiGrande not stuck a pesky toe on it to thief the stat (nah, tbh that pass probably doesn’t sneak between the two defenders without DiGrande’s help). Savannah DiMelo also rattled the frame of the goal. Arin Wright was back from suspension alongside Erceg at the back and they had North Carolina Courage, Erceg’s old team, struggling for answers.
Then the second half happened and NCC roared back to win 3-1. This Louisville team just does not seem capable of putting two good halves together in the same game. Not a happy trait. But they do have time to figure things out now with the NWSL taking its summer break, leaving the table looking like this...
Utah Royals were able to hang on for a 1-1 draw with Seattle Reign without Macey Fraser, slightly improving their situation at the bottom there. Erceg’s the only one of the four NZers in this league who isn’t going to the Olympics so she’ll get to play against the LigaMX teams in those mid-season exhibition games as part of the, take a breath here... the “NWSL x LigaMX Femenil Summer Cup”. The Summer Cup, as we’ll call it, has five groups of four teams with only four of the five group winners (based on points rankings) advancing to the semis. Racing Lou are in a group with Orlando Pride, North Carolina Courage, and CF Monterrey. Some teams will no doubt take it more seriously than others.
Up Next: Summer Cup starts in two weeks
Michael Boxall – Minnesota United (American Major League Soccer)
Michael Boxall: “This is a tough game to reflect on. When you’re in a tough spell like we are at the moment and then we start the game with me just gifting them a goal, it kinda sucks the energy out of the stadium and out of the team. Any momentum you’re trying to get going forward just disappears. Tonight, that’s one hundred percent on me.”
Boxy’s being a leader there by taking things on his own shoulders after a 3-1 defeat at home against Vancouver Whitecaps during the week. Clearly it wasn’t all on him... but the goal they conceded in the fourth minute was. He under-hit a back-pass to debutant goalkeeper Alec Smir which was picked off and squared for an easy tap-in. They were soon 2-0 down and although they battled back and created plenty of chances, they still filed onto the bus with another disappointing defeat. At least Boxy was the bloke hovering forward and applying the pressure on a cross that led to a handball penalty for Minnesota Utd after half an hour. Except that Joseph Rosales missed the kick. Bongokuhle Hlongwane scored from the resulting corner kick though.
The positive from that result is that at least they had a short turnaround to try and fix things against LA Galaxy. So how’d that one go? They lost again. Beaten 2-1 on the road. They conceded after 25 minutes when their back three was caught a little too high and a little too slow for a square ball in behind them. Boxall threatened to tie things up with a sneaky front-post run, flicking the wide delivery off his knee towards goal but into the hands of the keeper. There was an equaliser soon after that but it got disallowed for offside so never mind. Minny kept creating and will have been annoyed to still trail at the break. They would eventually get that leveller when substitute Teemu Pukki popped up with a clinical finish in the 73rd minute. They’d probably have taken a draw under the circumstances. Instead they conceded in the 90th minute and lost. Bugger.
Up Next: Houston Dynamo vs Minny Utd at 12.30pm on Sunday (NZT)
Ollie Whyte - FC Haka (Finnish Veikkausliiga)
Yeah nah that’s just FC Haka making their way into the semis of the Suomen Cup after a 2-1 win away to KPV. They scored bright and early inside of two minutes through an Imani Lanquedoc goal that was erroneously credited as an Ollie Whyte assist in that video. Whyte had a good chance a little after that but his shot was well saved. KPV equalised after half an hour and it remained that way for a bloody long time before Niklas Friberg scored an injury time winner for Haka. Get in. Whyte played 79 minutes as the centre-forward and these days those starts are getting very common for him.
In fact, they played again a few days later in the Veikkausliiga and Whyte played the whole thing as the centre-forward in a 3-0 victory away against IFK Mariehamn. No goals or assists but another useful three points. FCH are six points clear of the impending split between top and bottom half. They’re also only four points off first place with at least one game in hand on every team above them, thanks to HJK losing this week. Long way to go yet but if they can kick on from here then Haka could yet find themselves having a very special year. They’ve drawn Inter Turku in the semis of the cup, though that game won’t be played for another six weeks.
Up Next: Tuesday at 4am against Ilves (NZT)
Katie Kitching - Sunderland (English Championship)
Nice touch from Sunderland to recognise a “really special achievement” from Katie Kitching upon being selected for the Football Ferns Olympic squad. Happy days. This is also confirmation that KK remains under contract with Sunderland, who never did a public retained/released list so until we got actual images of her with Sunderland in week one of preseason (and only in week one of preseason because she’ll be off to join up with the NZ squad now), we didn’t know for sure. Now we do. Sweet as. Lock her and Hannah Blake in for Champo duties in 2024-25, with Grace Neville likely to get a new contract announcement at London City soon (they’ve been rolling through them one by one). NZF still had Olivia Page classed as a Sheffield United player when she was called up into the U20s this week although Sheff Utd seem to be in a bit of a shambles at the moment so who knows.
Up Next: Olympiad
James Musa & Elliot Collier – Indy Eleven (American USL Championship)
You may have been asking what happened to James Musa. Many people have been asking what happened to James Musa. Having long since established himself as a reliable USL defender, he’d gone alright last year at Colorado Springs after overcoming some injury issues at the start of the year. The Moose only made 17 appearances for the team in 2023 but started nine of their last ten league games and then got ninety minutes (with a yellow card) in their one-and-done playoff defeat against San Antonio. He agreed on a return to the Switchbacks for 2024 and played in three of their first four matches... but they lost all four of those matches and he was hooked at half-time of the fourth, never to be seen again in Colorado Springs.
That game was in early April. Musa was not included in the matchday squads for any of the team’s next eleven fixtures across all competitions. He just kinda... disappeared. Didn’t help his case that Colorado Springs went on a big unbeaten streak during that spell either, s’pose. He wasn’t listed as injured, which doesn’t necessarily mean that he wasn’t, however the more likely scenario seems to have been some kind of mutual falling out. But we don’t have to ask where James Musa is any longer because we’ve finally got an answer...
He’s been traded to Indy Eleven... where he teams up with Elliot Collier. Indy even paid an undisclosed transfer fee to acquire The Moose so shout out to them for that. No other details were forthcoming so we’re still guessing as to why it never worked out in Colorado, not that it matters any more. Not only does Musa now have a new home but he proved that injuries were not a factor by going straight into the starting line-up for Indy Eleven, giving them 45 minutes against Rhode Island FC before being replaced at half-time. Probably a bit much to expect any more from him after three months on the sidelines. They’ll be hoping he gets that match fitness back in a hurry though because his team were 2-0 up when he took a seat and they went on to draw 3-3 conceding a 90+5th minute equaliser.
On the plus side, Elliot Collier also started and it was he who scored the second of their goals...
Collier had not started a game all season before this one. He’d made 15 appearances and they’ll all been off the bench, although usually for a solid 10-25 minutes at a time. This game saw him given a chunky role up top where it was his duty to spark the press so it was understandable when he was subbed after an hour of hectic running. Things were going swell with the two kiwis out there. Pity about what happened when they didn’t have either of them on the pitch. Despite the dropped points, Indy Eleven still sit third in the USL Eastern Conference. No worries there.
Up Next: US Open quarter-final away to Atlanta United on Weds at 11am (NZT)
Jay Herdman & Finn Linder - Vancouver Whitecaps II (American MLS Next Pro)
Look yonder and rejoice...
Jay Herdman is at it again. Five goals and three assists this season, most of them within the past two months as he’s been given more of a central role that best befits his talent. In all honesty, he should have scored more in their 2-0 win against Portland Timbers 2. Herdman was brilliant on his way to five shots with three big chances created. He had a half-volley blocked from about twelve yards out. Also had one saved on the end of a low cross which he didn’t manage to slip past the keeper who stayed big. Then another near the end making an angled run into the area but not being able to get enough contact on his shot. Highlights here. Note that Finn Linder got ninety minutes with a clean sheet at centre-back. Portland 2 played the last 25 mins with ten men although VW2 had already scored both of their goals by then. The Junior Caps have now won seven matches in a row and sit third in their MLS Next Pro conference.
Up Next: Whitecaps 2 vs Tacoma Defiance on Monday at 11am (NZT)
Deklan Wynne - Port Vale (English League Two)
Did you spot 16-cap All Whites representative Deklan Wynne in there? He joined Port Vale towards the end of last season, prior to their relegation, but he never got to play. Then they announced their retained list in which it was stated that Wynne was in negotiations to remain (which made sense given how late in the previous season he’d joined them).
Nothing further has been announced since then but he did pop up in the starting line-up for Port Vale’s opening preseason fixture against local non-league side Newcastle Town, playing the first half before wholesale changes were made at the break. One day later he did the same thing against Kidsgrove Athletic: playing the first half before the entire outfield was subbed off at once. Seems he swung in a few good deliveries from wide areas across these games. Standard Deklan Wynne stuff.
That’s good news because unless there’s something unannounced, he does not currently have a contract. He wasn’t listed as a trialist for either game but that’s probably because, as Port Vale is his most recent club, there’s no registration conflict there. He may not be a trialist but a trial is what this is. He’s got these preseason fixtures to prove his worth ahead of the League Two quest to come. Best of luck, comrade.
Up Next: On Thursday at 6.30 they’re up against Leek Town (NZT)
Alex Paulsen - AFC Bournemouth (English Premier League)
In the house... but how long will he remain there? At the time of writing they still haven’t announced the men’s football Olympic squad, apparently because they’re having trouble securing releases for some of the players. Doubt that’d be a factor with Paulsen because his announcement with Bournemouth included the note that he is “expected to feature for his country in the summer Olympic Games in Paris”. They seem fine with it, in which case he might just be dashing in and out of Bournemouth HQ to do some fitness testing and to say g’day before linking up with the OlyWhites.
The question is more what happens afterwards and whether he’s going to go out on loan or not. The Cherries goalkeeping stocks were pretty full last season but there’s a lot going on behind established number one Neto. For starters, Darren Randolph was released at the conclusion of his contract while Andrei Radu has gone back to Inter Milan with his loan deal finished. Irish international Mark Travers initially went on loan to Stoke last term but then returned during an injury crisis to be the main backup. He’s now being linked with a move away (clubs like Celtic and Crystal Palace are interested) and his academy graduate status could make him a necessary sacrifice for financial fair play reasons. Will Dennis is back after his impressive loan spell at Kilmarnock. Alex Paulsen’s now on the books. Lots could happen there and it may be weeks before we get any further clarity.
Paulsen did have this to say when speaking to Football In Oceania during the Nations Cup...
“We’ve got an action plan, so there’s a plan put in place. It’s going to look likely to go out on loan, but, yeah, you never know what’s going to happen, so it’s going to be a lot of work. It’s going to be interesting. I’m very, very excited and just grateful to even be considered to be a part of the team and looking forward to joining up with the team as well.”
Not sure what a loan might look like for him, though the first thing that springs to mind is that he takes over Dennis’ role with Kilmarnock to allow Dennis to return as Neto’s backup. Might also be a Championship spell like Travers briefly had with Stoke. It won’t be an A-League gig because he’s already clocked that level. Whatever happens, these are exciting times.
Up Next: We shall see...
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