Towering defender Lukas Kelly-Heald has penned the longest contract in Wellington Phoenix history, signing a four year deal with the club. The 18-year-old and coach Giancarlo Italiano spoke to the media on Thursday morning.
Wellington Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano believes the signing of young gun Lukas Kelly-Heald to a club record four year deal was “a no brainer”, as he begins to mould his side in a youthful image ahead of his first season in charge.
The 18-year-old academy product – who is yet to debut at senior level – was rewarded with a deal until the end of the 2026-27 season after impressing for the club’s reserve side.
Kelly-Heald – along with his twin brother Alby – had also recently featured at national team level with New Zealand at the FIFA U20 World Cup.
“It’s an honour. I’ve grown up in Wellington my whole life so it’s an amazing feeling to have signed, and to have signed for such a long time,” the towering centre-half said at his unveiling on Thursday morning.
“I wasn’t expecting such a long contract but it shows good faith in me, I think. It means there’s a lot of time to develop and learn.”
His signing to a long term deal signals new coach Italiano and the club’s intent to begin taking a youthful approach to recruitment along with their overall squad composition heading into the upcoming season.
“We believe it’s the right time to invest in the future and give a lot of these young Kiwi boys that are coming through the academy an opportunity,” Italiano said.
“We have the confidence that Lukas fits the profile [that suggests] that he can do very well at a higher level.
“For me, it was a no brainer to give him a four-year contract. What I see off the park he’s the ultimate pro and takes his game very seriously, and you can see that in his performances. He’s very consistent which I believe is the cornerstone of any good player.”
KELLY-HEALD: Wellington sensation signs landmark deal
Italiano was asked whether he felt the investment in young players was a “trend” developing across the Isuzu UTE A-League, after Central Coast Mariners took home the Championship in the same season they gave minutes to the most players aged 23 and younger.
He feels the case of the Mariners and their off-season business – which has seen some of their players move on for large transfer fees – is a great incentive to give the youngsters an opportunity should they be ready to make the leap into the senior team.
INS AND OUTS: Isuzu UTE A-League 2023-24 Transfer Centre
“I think the league is recognising the value in young players,” he said in response.
“Sometimes there’s criticism throughout the league that there’s a bit of a recycled element of players moving from club to club, where there a lot of these younger kids that could come through if not at the same level [of performance] or just a little bit under. So why not give those guys an opportunity?
“The Mariners are a good model moving forward for a lot of clubs giving opportunity to boys that are in that young age group that didn’t get opportunity.
“I mean, you look at (Nectar) Triantis and his move to Sunderland, right? He was at [Western Sydney] Wanderers for a long time, wasn’t given an opportunity. He made the right move to Mariners and the rest is history.
“I think it’s sustainable as well, investing in these younger players, I think the coaching needs to also bridge that gap and there needs to be an emphasis on coaches that are able to develop those younger players into the first team.
“I think that’s a fuel for success, for longevity for the league and I think also the fact you’re getting million dollar deals off these players is a great incentive for clubs.”
Kelly-Heald is the ‘Nix’s third off-season signing, joining midfielder Mohamed Al-Taay and experienced keeper Jack Duncan as the arrivals in the senior squad ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
However, Italiano said he will use Wellington’s Australia Cup campaign – that kicks off on August 4 away to NPL Queensland outfit Peninsula Power – as a showcase for some of the younger players to stamp their claim in the team before focusing on more arrivals.
“This Australia Cup is going to be an opportunity for a lot of these younger players to stake a claim for a position,” he said.
“I’ve been very upfront from day one that I want to give the younger players a go, I want to give New Zealand players an opportunity to show what they have and then from that, I’ll make my decision, there’s still three months to go up until the start of the league.
“I’ve got plenty of time to make the right decision, [and not make a] hurried decision.”
Meanwhile, last season’s top goalscorer Oskar Zawada remains at the club for the time being, despite European clubs being interested in his services throughout the off-season.
“I think he just loves a coach,” Italiano joked when asked why he’s remained at the club so far.
Italiano believes “he’s committed” to sticking around this season, but acknowledged things could still change between now and the end of the European transfer window.
“There was always going to be interest for a striker that scored 14 plus goals in a season,” he said.
“I think other teams that have come in for him, potentially may not align with what the club expects.
“There’s also still a bit of a window left in Europe, so those things can change, but there’s always going to be interest in, in a player like Oskar.
“I think he’s committed to being here. I saw him the other day. He is buzzing to be back. He had a great time in Europe on his holidays. He was able to take his family back home and share some time with his friends
“He’s the ultimate professional. He comes in every day. He works very hard. He does more extras than any of the other players in our team.
“He has a burning desire to do well and if he stays here for this season, I think he’s going to be an even better player than what he was last year.”
