Western Sydney Wanderers defender Anthony Pantazopoulos admits he turned down several overseas offers during the off-season in favour of staying with the Western Sydney Wanderers and avenging last season’s painful Isuzu UTE A-League Elimination Final exit.
Having equalled a club record 12-game unbeaten run heading into the 2024-25 Finals Series, the Wanderers had also set a new record for most goals scored in a regular season (58), with many tipping them to be a serious contender for the Championship.
CLICK HERE TO HEAD TO THE ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE TRANSFER CENTRE
However, Alen Stajcic’s side were knocked out in the first round as they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Melbourne Victory, and it’s a result that still stings for Pantazopoulos heading into their season-opener with champions Melbourne City on October 18.
“I don’t think I’ll ever leave that behind,” said Pantazopoulos when speaking at the A-Leagues season launch in Sydney.
“It’s something that has been mentioned quite a lot in pre-season. We are still hurting from that, because we felt like we were right there, ready to create something really special.
“That’s going to drive us this year and go that one step further. I’d probably say it gets brought up in conversation, maybe once a week, once every two weeks. So it’s a constant reminder, because obviously, we weren’t happy with how it ended, and we don’t want that to happen.”
Despite being a no-nonsense centre-back, Pantazopoulos was at one stage drafted into a Wanderers matchday squad as an emergency goalkeeper following an injury to then back-up shot-stopper Jack Gibson ahead of a clash with the Central Coast Mariners in the 2023-24 season.
FEATURE READ: How a star import tipped to be ‘one of the best Peruvian players ever’ landed in the A-Leagues
However, after being given a chance in the first team by Stajcic last season the 22-year-old hasn’t looked back, establishing himself as one of the most dominant central defenders in the competition and subsequently attracted interest from clubs overseas during the off-season.
“I look back on the first year I was with the Wanderers and obviously I didn’t play much, but I’m so glad that it happened, because it really gave me that extra motivation, watching the boys and watching people perform,” he said.
“I was like, I want to be in that position and I think it’s driven me to another level, and the motivation to get even further.”
“Yeah there were definitely some opportunities that came up,” said Pantazopoulos, who was the subject of interest from clubs in both the EFL Championship and MLS.
“But at the end of the day, it was my best decision to stay here. I feel like I haven’t done enough here to warrant a move overseas just yet.
“I think I still have a lot to learn and a lot to improve on before I make that jump. Obviously, it’s something that every kid wants to do. You want to play overseas, you want to go as far as you can.
“But for the time being, I’m fully focused on playing this season with Wanderers and doing what we didn’t do last year, which is winning (silverware).”
AUS CUP FINAL: Jets have a trophy after almost two decades & this is what Newcastle are embracing next
The Wanderers will certainly face a stern test in Round 1 when they welcome a Melbourne City side to CommBank Stadium who have already had the benefit of playing two AFC Champions League Elite fixtures prior to the new Isuzu UTE A-League season kicking off.
“I don’t think there’s a better game we could have asked for to be honest, we want to test ourselves against the best from last year,” he said.
“I feel like we have a lot of unfinished business from last year. The way we ended the season was unbelievable, and to go out in the elimination finals left a bit of fire in the belly.
“So to get the Champions first round is exactly what we want.”
Whilst the Wanderers’ defensive unit remains largely intact from last season, both the forward line and midfield have undergone major surgery.
Top scorers Nicolas Milanovic and Zac Sapsford have departed for Scottish Premiership duo Aberdeen and Dundee United respectively while World Cup winner Juan Mata has joined Melbourne Victory and fellow midfielder Oscar Priestman has also headed to Scotland, joining Motherwell.
However the club has recruited well, bringing in Championship winner Steven Ugarkovic from Melbourne City and former Western United midfielder Angus Thurgate whilst also signing Kosta Barbarouses and Alou Kuol from Wellington Phoenix and Central Coast Mariners respectively, both of whom have Championship-winning pedigree.
“I think it’s coming together extremely well, we’ve got winners now. We’ve got people that have won the league, won Championships, and I think that’s what we were lacking a little bit last year in those big games.
He added: “So definitely us younger ones are going to lean on them in big moments, because they’ve been there and done that.”
