English Premier League club AFC Bournemouth have signed Wellington Phoenix star Alex Paulsen in a deal that breaks the Isuzu UTE A-League club’s record outgoing transfer fee.
The 21-year-old goalkeeper signs for Bournemouth after a breakout season at the Phoenix. Paulsen played every minute of Wellington’s 2023-24 Isuzu UTE A-League season, and kept a club-record 11 clean sheets in 27 regular season fixtures.
A-League Men Goalkeeper of the Year, Fan’s Player of the Year and joint-winner of the Boost Young Footballer of the Year award, Paulsen played a pivotal role in Wellington’s best league season to date.
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An academy graduate at the Phoenix, Paulsen’s three-season stint with the club’s first team ends with a move to the Premier League; the undisclosed transfer fee has been confirmed by Wellington as the largest sum the club has ever received for an outgoing player, eclipsing the previous record figure set by Sarpreet Singh’s move to Bayern Munich in 2019.
“I’m humbled to be considered worthy of signing with AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League,” Paulsen said.
“It means the world to me, my family and to my friends to be offered an opportunity to play in the best league on the planet, which most aspiring young footballers only dream of.
“Sarpreet, Libby Cacace and Ben Waine have laid the stepping stones for young New Zealand footballers like myself to dream big and be like ‘the world is our oyster’.
“I’m proud of the accomplishments I’ve achieved alongside the club in what was the Phoenix’s most successful season. Without the trust and belief from the club, my teammates and staff I don’t think I would have been able to obtain and meet a lot of my personal objectives and goals.
“However, I am my own worst critic and I am obsessed with wanting to improve, so I really want to use this season as a foundation to scale up and take it to another level.”
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Paulsen played 29 league games in 2023-24 as Wellington reached the Isuzu UTE A-League Semi-Finals. He had had made just four appearances for the senior Phoenix side before then, and was unused by former head coach Ufuk Talay in the 2022-23 campaign.
New head coach Giancarlo Italiano put his faith in Paulsen in pre-season and both the player and club reaped the rewards of the trust instilled in the young shot-stopper.
Upon the confirmation of his departure, Italiano lauded Paulsen for seizing his opportunity in the Phoenix first team and becoming a prime example of the club’s transfer strategy with a move to the Premier League.
“I’m really proud AP’s scored such a big deal with such a big club in the world’s best league,” Italiano said.
“It shows what we’re building here at the Phoenix by helping a young player move to a Premier League club.
“His move aligns perfectly with the club’s transfer strategy. The goal from day one was playing the young guys, getting them in the shop window and giving them the ability to progress to the next level.”
Paulsen is the second Phoenix player to depart this off-season.
Head coach Italiano confirmed Oskar Zawada played his last game for the club in the Semi-Final second-leg defeat to Melbourne Victory, while the Phoenix have since re-signed 2023-24 top scorer Kosta Barbarouses.
The Phoenix are yet to announce any further arrivals, departures or contract extensions.
