The transfer window slammed shut on Monday night, and after a busy period of off-season acquisitions, aleagues.com.au identifies one signing from all 12 Isuzu UTE A-League clubs that fans should be particularly excited about.
From visa signings and internationals to rising stars and academy prospects, teams around the league have been busy strengthening their respective squads and with just one month to go until the start of the 2025-26 season, these are the standout new arrivals at every club.
2025-26 FIXTURE RELEASE
FULL FIXTURES: Every match of the Isuzu UTE A-League 25-26 season here
DERBY DATES: The matches to circle in your calendar now
FIRST 5 FIXTURES: Your Isuzu UTE A-League team’s start to the 2025-26 season
FINALS SERIES: 2025-26 structure and dates
TRANSFER CENTRE: Your club’s ins/outs ahead of the upcoming season
Adelaide United: Craig Goodwin
The King of Coopers Stadium is back in the Isuzu UTE A-League!
CommBank Socceroos star and Adelaide United legend Craig Goodwin returned home on a three-year contract following a two-season stint with Al-Wehda in the Saudi Professional League.
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The 33-year-old remains Adelaide’s all-time leading goalscorer with 60 goals from 168 appearances across all competitions. He is also the club’s all-time leading A-Leagues goalscorer with 53 league goals to his name.
Goodwin will wear the armband once again this season, reclaiming the duty from Ryan Kitto who served as captain in Goodwin’s two-year absence. A talismanic figure at the club, Goodwin’s return to the City of Churches came with the highest praise from Adelaide’s head of football Marius Zanin.
“Craig is a true great of our club,” Zanin said. “Having him back with us is a huge moment for everyone involved – our players, our staff, and most importantly, our fans.”
Every Adelaide signing: Craig Goodwin, Julian Kwaaitaal (returns from loan at FC Eindhoven), Joey Garuccio (scholarship contract), Sotirios Phillis (scholarship contract), Vinko Stanisic (scholarship contract), Joshua Smits, Anselmo de Moraes, Juan Muñiz
Auckland FC: Sam Cosgrove
The reigning Premiers have a new attacking focal point in 28-year-old Englishman Sam Cosgrove, who has joined the Black Knights after bagging 70 goals and 20 assists across 297 professional matches for Aberdeen, Plymouth, Shrewsbury Town and Birmingham City.
Cosgrove enjoyed a prolific spell with Aberdeen in Scotland, where he netted 47 goals in 103 appearances, including eight in UEFA Europa League qualifying and 17 during the 2018-19 campaign – making him the Scottish Premiership’s second-highest scorer only behind Rangers’ Alfredo Morelos (18).
The experienced striker arrived in Auckland in August and will be expected to replace the firepower of the likes of Neyder Moreno and Max Mata who departed the Black Knights after the club’s inaugural Isuzu UTE A-League season.
“Sam is going to be a great acquisition and will provide firepower to the front line,” said Auckland coach Steve Corica.
“He is a big, physical striker who I think will be well-suited to the league. He’s also got a great deal of experience. We’re looking forward to having him as part of the group.”
Every Auckland signing: Scott Morris, Lachlan Brook, Oli Sail, Sam Cosgrove, Jake Girdwood-Reich (loan)
Brisbane Roar: Chris Long
Another experienced English finisher has arrived in the Isuzu UTE A-League with Brisbane Roar signing 30-year-old Everton academy product Chris Long on a one-year deal.
Long spent 15 years at Everton before loans to Milton Keynes Dons and Brentford preceded a permanent transfer to Burnley in 2015.
The England youth international had three years on the books at Burnley before moves to Fleetwood Town, Blackpool, Motherwell and Crewe Alexandra, where he’s spent the past four years, making nearly 100 appearances for the League Two club.
Brisbane scored just 32 goals in 26 games last season and with equal top-scorer Asumah Abubakar departing the club, Long will hope to hit the ground running in Australia and prove himself to be a consistent goalscorer for new head coach Michael Valkanis.
Every Brisbane signing: Milorad Stajic, James McGarry (Aberdeen), Hosine Bility (2026-27), Michael Ruhs, Dean Bouzanis, Christoper Long, Justin Vidic (2026-27), Dimitri Valkanis (loan), Georgios Vrakas, Jordan Lauton, Matthew Dench
Central Coast Mariners: Andrew Redmayne
After 15 years, Socceroo Andrew Redmayne is back on the Central Coast, having returned to where his career began on a one-year deal.
The 36-year-old, 276-game Isuzu UTE A-League stalwart made his senior debut for the Mariners in 2008 amid a three-season stint in Gosford. Redmayne then went on to win two Championships and one Premiership title across two seasons at Brisbane Roar, before three years at Melbourne City and two at Western Sydney Wanderers.
The veteran gloveman has spent the past eight-and-a-half years at Sydney FC, where he took his Isuzu UTE A-League Championship tally to five, collecting three titles with the Sky Blues to go with a further three Premierships.
Redmayne returns to Gosford to compete with up-and-coming young goalkeeper Dylan Peraic-Cullen for minutes in between the sticks for Mark Jackson’s side; should Peraic-Cullen keep hold of the starting role at the club, Redmayne’s presence will undoubtedly aid the 19-year-old’s development.
Every Mariners signing: Andrew Redmayne, James Donachie, Will Kennedy, Alexi Houridis, James Houridis
Macarthur Bulls: Ji Dong-won
Macarthur Bulls pulled off one of the statement signings of the off-season with the arrival of 34-year-old South Korea international Ji Dong-won from K League 1 club Suwon FC.
With 55 international caps to his name, the 2012 Olympic Games bronze medalist arrives in Campbelltown at the back-end of a career that has featured stints at German giants Borussia Dortmund as well as two seasons in the English Premier League with Sunderland – highlighted by a memorable 93rd-minute match-winner scored against Manchester City in January 2012.
Every Macarthur signing: Ji Dong-won (Suwon FC), Anthony Caceres (Sydney FC), Callum Talbot (Melbourne City), Harry Politidis (Melbourne City), Zane Helweh (scholarship), Will McKay (scholarship), Sebastian Krslovic (scholarship), Šime Gržan, Damien Da Silva, Rafael Duran Martinez
Melbourne City: Takeshi Kanamori
Another club that has looked to Asia for a standout signing is Melbourne City, who recruited AFC Champions League Elite winner Takeshi Kanamori from J1 League outfit Avispa Fukuoka.
The versatile 31-year-old attacker arrives in Melbourne with 400 professional appearances and a list of honours which include the AFC Champions League title, Japanese Super Cup crown and a J.League Cup trophy.
Kanamori makes the move to City on the back of his second spell with Avispa, where he amassed 309 appearances – including 13 in the J1 League this season – and scored 40 goals to go with a 2023 J.League Cup medal.
He also spent time at Japanese giants Kashima Antlers, winning the 2018 AFC Champions League Elite and 2017 Super Cup before a spell with Sagan Tosu.
Kanamori joins fellow visa signing Elbasan Rashani at the reigning Champions, with the remaining three visa slots occupied by German Ferreyra, Andreas Kuen and Samuel Souprayen.
Every City signing: Takeshi Kanamori (Avispa Fukuoka), Liam Bonetig, Beckham Baker (2027-28), Elbasan Rashani, Besian Kutleshi, Akeem Gerald
Melbourne Victory: Juan Mata
The biggest move of the transfer window undoubtedly occurred when Melbourne Victory snared former Manchester United, Chelsea and Spain star away from rivals Western Sydney Wanderers on September 16.
The 37-year-old FIFA World Cup winner moved to Australia last year and scored one goal while supplying three assists in 23 appearances for Western Sydney, who lost to Victory in an Elimination Final.
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Mata is a 41-time Spain international, who won the 2010 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2012 – a final in which he scored playing alongside the likes of Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Xabi Alonso, Cesc Fabregas, Sergio Ramos, Gerard Pique, Iker Casillas, David Silva and Fernando Torres.
The Spaniard also got his hands on the Champions League and Europa League trophies at star-studded Chelsea.
Mata made just seven starts for Western Sydney in 2024-25 but has moved to Victory in pursuit of regular minutes. Victory head coach Arthur Diles expects to unlock the full potential of one of the most high-profile signings in Isuzu UTE A-League history throughout the 2025-26 campaign.
“We are incredibly fortunate to add someone of Juan’s experience and character to the squad,” Diles said.
“We are excited to welcome him into the changeroom, where we have no doubt his leadership and knowledge of the game will elevate the whole team,” said Victory head coach Arthur Diles.
“Juan’s playing ambitions for this season and his long-term history of success with the game, align perfectly with the way we want to play for our chance to win trophies this season.”
Every Victory signing: Louis D’Arrigo, Keegan Jelacic, Franco Lino (loan), Kayne Razmovski, Sebastian Esposito (loan), Jason Davidson, Emre Saglam (loan), Jack Mihailidis (promoted), Daniel Lazarevski (promoted), Oliver Dragicevic, Xavier Stella, Denis Genreau, Jack Warshawsky, Matthew Grimaldi, Juan Mata
Newcastle Jets: Alex Badolato
Unlike some of his Isuzu UTE A-League rivals, Newcastle Jets head coach Mark Milligan hasn’t looked to bolster his squad with internationals, or eye-catching visa recruits.
Instead, the Jets have recruited several young Australians while promoting from within the club’s academy to create a squad that has made it to the 2025 Hahn Australia Cup final – and one player pivotal to that trophy push has been 20-year-old creative midfielder Alex Badolato.
The Young Socceroos star arrived in Newcastle from Western Sydney Wanderers after a loan to Melbourne Victory through the second half of the 2024-25 campaign.
A highly-rated young talent with bags of potential, Badolato went to China with the Young Socceroos for the 2025 AFC U20 Asian Cup and returned as a champion, having been crowned the tournament’s most valuable player after Australia’s triumph over Saudi Arabia in the final.
Badolato will miss the Australia Cup final as he competes at the FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile and, should Australia go all the way in the major tournament, would miss Round 1 of the season as it overlaps with the final.
In new Jets boss and retired Socceroo Milligan, Badolato has the perfect coach to continue his development under throughout his two-year Newcastle contract.
“We are extremely happy that we were able to gain a player of Alex’s quality,” Milligan said after signing Badolato.
“He holds great potential and I believe we will see him flourish in our environment.
“We want to continue to be a club that is able to promote young talented players from the area and attract young talent from around the country. Alex ticks all the boxes for us as a person first and a footballer second.”
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Every Jets signing: Alex Badolato (Western Sydney Wanderers), Max Burgess, Joe Shaughnessy, James Delianov, Joel Bertolisio, Xavier Bertoncello (scholarship)
Perth Glory: Brian Kaltak
For a team that shipped a league-high 56 goals in 2024-25, recruiting defensive reinforcements was an absolute must for a Perth Glory side desperate to improve after back-to-back wooden spoons.
Looking around the Isuzu UTE A-League, the club would have been hard pressed to find a better centre-back to target in the transfer market than Vanuatu international Brian Kaltak – and that’s precisely who they managed to bring through the doors in a significant transfer coup.
The 31-year-old Vanuatu international’s arrival in the West came as a major shock after three years at the Mariners.
Kaltak won the Isuzu UTE A-League Championship in 2022-23 with Central Coast in his debut season in Gosford then went back-to-back in 2023-24 while also contributing to the club’s Premiership triumph and AFC Cup win in an historic trophy treble.
Reports linked the esteemed centre-back with a move to Asia as the 2024-25 season neared its conclusion but in a transfer surprise, Kaltak elected to join Isuzu UTE A-League rivals Glory on a multi-year deal.
Kaltak is the standout signing of Glory’s defensive recruitment spree, including former Phoenix duo Sam Sutton and Scott Wootton as well as ex-Western United full-back Charbel Shamoon.
Ins: Brian Kaltak, Sam Sutton (2027-28), Scott Wootton (2026-27), Callum TImmins (2027-28), Mark Birighitti (2026-27), Sebastian Despotovski (scholarship), Oliver Evans (scholarship), Arion Sulemani, Jaiden Kucharski, Gabriel Popovic, Charbel Shamoon, Rhys Bozinovski
Sydney FC: Piero Quispe
This will be fun.
Sydney FC have signed Peru international Piero Quispe on loan from Mexican giants Pumas UNAM and at just 24 years of age, the attacking midfielder promises to add trickery, skill and cutting edge to the Sky Blues’ new-look attacking unit.
The 12-time Peru international featured at the 2024 Copa America and has also been involved in the nation’s 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup qualifying campaign.
Quispe’s loan move to Sydney was announced just days prior to the departure of Douglas Costa from the club by mutual consent; now, the Peruvian’s presence in head coach Ufuk Talay’s squad seems all the more important – as does that of Spanish striker Victor Campuzano who has joined the club on a two-year deal from Spanish club Sporting Gijon.
Every Sydney FC signing: Al Hassan Toure, Patrick Wood (end of loan to Perth Glory), Rhys Youlley, Akol Akon, Mathias Macallister, Paul Okon-Engstler, Marcel Tisserand, Piero Quispe (loan), Victor Campuzano, Abel Walatee
Wellington Phoenix: Ifeanyi Eze
Wellington Phoenix have a new number seven in Nigerian striker Ifeanyi Eze who will look to replace the goals of Kosta Barbarouses, who departed for Western Sydney Wanderers this off-season.
The 26-year-old arrives from Al-Karkh SC in the Iraq Stars League, where he scored 15 goals and provided five assists last term in a standout campaign, despite his side finishing 14th on the ladder.
The striker began his career in his native Nigeria with Akwa United, before joining Kano Pillars. He then played in the Libyan Premier League with Al Soquor and Al Hilal, before heading to Iraq, where he spent one season.
His arrival in Wellington is the latest stop in a fascinating career path but now that he’s settled into his new surrounds, Eze hopes to let his football do the talking in his debut Isuzu UTE A-League campaign.
“I know everyone wants a player who can score goals and help the team…but I don’t want to talk too much about that,” he said at the time of his Phoenix unveiling.
“I like doing my talking on the field and they should be ready for Eze!”
Every Phoenix signing: Ifeanyi Eze, Carlo Armiento, Nikola Mileusnic, Manjrekar James, Dan Edwards, Ramy Najjarine
Western Sydney Wanderers: Angus Thurgate
Western Sydney Wanderers’ final move in the transfer window was to sign one of the Isuzu UTE A-League’s best players in 25-year-old midfielder Angus Thurgate on a three-year deal.
Thurgate joins the Wanderers after Western United’s Club Participation Agreement (CPA) was placed in conditional hibernation for the upcoming campaign.
The 25-year-old has established himself as one of the competition’s top midfielders, with former boss and Socceroos legend John Aloisi tipping the Aussie star for a “high level overseas”.
Recruited alongside former Melbourne City midfielder Steven Ugarkovic, Thurgate has the potential to revolutionise the Wanderers’ engine room in 2025-26 as head coach Alen Stajcic looks to push the club beyond the Elimination Finals.
Every Wanderers signing: Kosta Barbarouses (Wellington Phoenix), Steven Ugarkovic (Melbourne City) Phillip Cancar, Alou Kuol, Ruon Tongyik, Angus Thurgate
