Perth Glory have bolstered their defensive stocks with the signature of experienced centre-half Jordan Elsey on a two-and-a-half year deal.
Elsey arrives in the West after a 37-game stint at Newcastle Jets, where he had his request for an early release from his contract accepted in order to link up with Ruben Zadkovich’s Glory on a long-term contract.
The 28-year-old Elsey has 158 Isuzu UTE A-League appearances to his name, split across one-and-a-half seasons in Newcastle and six campaigns at Adelaide United – during his time at Coopers Stadium, he claimed the Premiership/Championship double in 2015-16 to go with two Australia Cup (formerly named FFA Cup) titles.
He joins a Glory outfit in red-hot form after a string of positive results at home. With the West Australian team seventh in the A-League Men standings and climbing, Elsey says he’s excited to contribute to his new club’s push for finals football.
“I’ve always enjoyed my time when travelling to Perth,” he said, “and this is an exciting move not only for me, but also for my family.
“After speaking with (Zadkovich), I was impressed with his ideas and am eager to join Glory.
In terms of targets, Finals is the main goal and I’m looking forward to contributing to this and finishing the season in a positive way.
With head coach Zadkovich electing to play with a back three and wing-backs, Elsey will contend for minutes in central defence with Darryl Lachman, Mark Beevers, Johnny Koutroumbis and Jacob Muir as Glory continue their charge up the table.
Zadkovich says he’s delighted to have secured the services of “one of the strongest Australian central defenders in this league” for the remainder of the 2022-23 campaign and beyond.
“His natural aggression and leadership skills will complement us and really consolidate what we are building,” Zadkovich added.
“He is also a great character to have in the dressing room.
“He is a high-quality person, first and foremost, who gives a lot of himself to his team-mates.
“We are looking forward to getting him settled and integrating him into our processes and structures.”
