Wellington Phoenix have bolstered their Isuzu UTE A-League squad ahead of the club’s Round 1 opener against Western United by signing Stefan Colakovski.
Colakovski has signed a one-year deal with the Phoenix after departing Perth Glory at the end of 2023-24.
A 2021 Championship winner with Melbourne City, where he also claimed a pair of Premierships, the 24-year-old forward is the third A-Leagues champion in the Wellington squad alongside Kosta Barbarouses and new signing Paulo Retre.
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“I’m keen to get started and play with some of the best players in the league like Barbarouses, Rojas, [Alex] Rufer and [Tim] Payne,” Colakovski said as the Phoenix prepare to host Western United at Sky Stadium on October 20.
“Playing and scoring in front of all the Phoenix fans is something I can’t wait to do.
“It’s always tough playing for the away team coming to Wellington, but now I’m on their side it’s going to be fun.
“The Yellow Fever create a top atmosphere and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone ripping their shirts off in the 80th minute.
“And playing under Chiefy is something I’m very excited for. I think the way he wants the team to play suits me and I think his coaching along with the strength of the squad can lead to some really exciting things this season.”
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Colakovski had spent the past two seasons in Perth, where the Australian scored six goals in 24 Isuzu UTE A-League appearances.
All of those goals game in 2023-24, finding the back of the net six times in 22 matches.
“I love to attack. I pride myself on being a creative player that has the ability to score goals,” he said.
“I love to combine with teammates and get behind the opposition’s defence as often as I can.
“I would say I’m someone who will do whatever it takes to win, and even if I’m having a quiet game, I know I just need that one moment to make a difference.
“I want to be a great teammate to everyone and be a part of a healthy culture within the club with a winning mindset. I’ve played in Grand Finals and I’ve won trophies in this league, so now it’s just about adding to that success with the Phoenix.”
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It has been a busy off-season for Giancarlo Italiano’s Wellington after an historic run to the 2023-24 Semi-Finals.
The Phoenix have brought in Marco Rojas, Paulo Retre, Luke Brooke-Smith, Josh Oluwayemi, Dublin Boon (scholarship contract), Kazuki Nagasawa, Hideki Ishige, Corban Piper (scholarship contract) and Jayden Smith (scholarship contract).
“It was good timing for us that Cola came back on to the market,” said head coach Italiano. “We’ve always liked him and thought he’d be a good addition to the squad, so we’re happy we could make it work.
“Cola can do things that a lot of players can’t. He’s very effective, makes very good forward runs and gets in dangerous positions.
“Our job as a coaching staff is to refine his skillset, and we think we can get more out of him as well.
“We’re really looking forward to him showing us what he’s got.”
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With Rojas set to miss the start of the season, Italiano added: “We’re still going to build the team around Marco. We just felt it wasn’t fair to put the burden on our young guys straight away and expect them to bag a bunch of goals. We want to give them time and make these things occur naturally.
“The fact that Cola has a proven goalscoring record and has experience creating goals it gives us a bit more depth and another layer that otherwise we wouldn’t have.
“In saying that our pre-season friendlies have been really good for the young guys to see where they’re at. I think the mix with Cola coming in is going to give us a really interesting dynamic.”
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