The future is bright in the City of Churches – and for Adelaide United, that future is now.
The Reds have taken a new approach to contracting young players in the off-season, having drip-fed news of several bright young talents committing to the club on long-term deals – two of which are at a length never before seen in the Isuzu UTE A-League Men.
The club spent last season conducting a strategic review of its football programs and identified the need to further invest in coaching staff, recruitment and player pathways.
What resulted was a partnership with Dutch club PSV Eindhoven, PSV legend Ernest Faber’s appointment as the club’s new Technical Director, and a concentrated effort to sign young players on multi-year deals.
These are seven young players Adelaide have locked down to date, the length of their contracts, and what they can bring to the club both now and into the future.
Featured image credit: Adelaide United
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Panagiotis Kikianis
- Age: 19
- Position: Defender
- Contracted until 2029 on a five-year deal
In July, Adelaide United made history by securing 19-year-old Panagiotis Kikianis on a five-year deal – the longest contract in Isuzu UTE A-League history.
Kikianis is signed to the Reds until 2029 and his record contract came after his maiden campaign in the league, where he made five appearances and scored one goal: a dramatic leveller in a 4-4 draw with Perth Glory in February.
After securing Kikianis on a long-term deal, Adelaide head coach Carl Veart praised the young defender for becoming an important squad member while still in his teenage years.
“He’s an exceptional talent with immense potential, and he’s already shown what he’s capable of on the field,” Veart said.
“Pana’s commitment to the club is a testament to his dedication and ambition, and we’re excited to continue nurturing his development and watching him flourish in the coming years.
“His dedication, talent, and positive attitude make him an integral part of our squad at such a young age.”
Ethan Alagich
- Age: 20
- Position: Midfielder
- Contracted until 2029 on a five-year deal
After setting the A-Leagues record with Kikianis’ five-year deal in July, Adelaide repeated the feat by tying down 20-year-old central midfielder Ethan Alagich to a contract of the same length one month later.
Alagich is the son of club legend Richie Alagich, and has made 44 appearances for his hometown club to date throughout his burgeoning career.
Reds head of football Marius Zanin described Alagich as “a remarkable talent with a bright future ahead of him” as he put pen to paper on the five-year contract.
Alagich won the NPLM SA title with Adelaide in 2023 and has since become a mainstay in the first-team squad, and under Veart’s guidance will look to build on the 20 appearances he accrued throughout last season in 2024-25.
Archie Goodwin
- Age: 19
- Position: Forward
- Contracted until 2028 on a four-year deal
One of the standout signings of the off-season, 19-year-old striker Archie Goodwin has joined Adelaide United from Newcastle Jets on a four-year deal.
The Young Socceroo has been heavily impacted by injuries through the early stage of his career. He made just 44 league appearances for Newcastle after becoming the club’s youngest-ever debutant in 2021 at 16 years and 106 days.
But when fit, Goodwin has proven himself as one of the most exciting attacking prospects in Australia, and throughout the next four years, has vowed to “light up Coopers Stadium” as a Red.
READ MORE: Archie Goodwin drops celebration joke & reveals four-year ambition in first Adelaide interview
Amlani Tatu
- Age: 16
- Position: Forward
- Contracted until 2027 on a three-year deal
Nestory Irankunda’s departure to Bayern Munich after his fourth and final season in the Isuzu UTE A-League has left a void in Carl Veart’s Adelaide squad for season 2024-25 – could Amlani Tatu be the one to fill it?
The 16-year-old is a backflipping, goalscoring excitement machine who is tipped to make an impact in Adelaide’s senior side after starring for the club’s NPL outfit as well as the Subway Joeys in last month’s ASEAN Under-16 Boys’ Championships.
Tatu was also named U16 Player of the Tournament at the recent National Youth Championships and has now committed the next three years of his career to the Reds.
Speaking to Network Ten after signing a three-year deal, Tatu addressed the similarities in play style between himself and 19-year-old Irankunda who burst onto the scene with the Reds at the age of 15.
“When people compare me to Nestor, I’m not really focussed on the social media stuff,” Tatu said. “I’m just trying to break into the first team.
“My goal is I just shoot – I’m following (in) Nestor’s footsteps. Nestor’s a great role model for me, I’m looking up to him.”
Feyzo Kasumović
- Age: 16
- Position: Defender
- Contracted until 2027 on a three-year deal
16-year-old central defender Feyzo Kasumović will spend the next three years at the Reds after joining Tatu in signing on until 2027.
Kasumović joined Adelaide United Youth after a stint at Football SA in the NTC Program and has represented the Subway Joeys; the teenager says the opportunity to sign a long-term deal at the Reds “is a step in my life that I will forever be grateful for, and it means that I must keep working even harder to achieve greater things in the future.”
Malual Nichola
- Age: 16
- Position: Defender
- Contracted until 2027 on a three-year deal
Malual Nichola signed a three-year deal of his own with the Reds on the same day the club confirmed contracts for Tatu and Kasumović on an exciting day for the trio of U17 Australia internationals.
Nichola, like Kasumović, is a defender and a player for the future who, under Veart, will look to continue his progression from Para Hills Knights, to Football SA NTC and onto Adelaide United Youth before signing his first contract with the first team.
Nichola, Tatu and Kasumović were three of four young Adelaide players who received the opportunity to train at PSV Eindhoven’s academy in the off-season.
Ethan Cox
- Age: 20
- Position: Goalkeeper
- Contracted until 2027 on a three-year deal
At 20 years of age, Ethan Cox is the latest in a line of exciting young goalkeepers to come through the ranks at Adelaide United – and after the moves of fellow glovemen Joe Gauci and Steven Hall to the Premier League, Cox couldn’t be better placed to develop at the Reds whilst on a long-term deal.
Cox is signed to the club until 2027, and after making his Isuzu UTE A-League debut on the very last day of the 2023-24 regular season, will look to build on his senior minutes into the new campaign as he competes with James Delianov in the club’s goalkeeping unit.
Cox, who joined the club in 2019 and won the NPLM SA title in 2023 in a local product who will look to follow in the footsteps of Gauci (Aston Villa) and Hall (Brighton and Hove Albion); both players earned high-profile moves abroad after working under Adelaide goalkeeper coach Eugene Galekovic, who has described Cox as a bright prospect for the future.
“Ethan has worked tirelessly on and off the field daily, and this contract is a reward for his efforts,” said Galekovic after Cox put pen to paper on a three-year deal.
“He has a very bright future ahead of him, and I look forward to seeing him develop over the coming years.”
