Melbourne Victory’s midfield stocks have taken a blow with confirmation Terry Antonis has left the club.
The 25-year-old has signed with K-League outfit Suwon Bluewings on a multi-year deal, where fellow Australian Adam Taggart also plies his trade.
“Terry accomplished a lot in his time with us, but there is no doubt he will be remembered for a long time by our members and fans for that goal in the Semi-Final against Sydney FC and the championship that followed,” Victory GM of Football Operations Paul Trimboli said
“This is an opportunity that Terry wanted to pursue, and we thank him for his contributions to our success and wish him well in his future endeavours.”
He has previously played abroad at Greek club PAOK and more recently for Dutch outfit VVV Venlo.
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Terry Antonis departs #MVFC: https://t.co/samH5HcPZ2 #OurVictory pic.twitter.com/hOz8nrIt7e
— Melbourne Victory (@gomvfc) July 24, 2019
Antonis has played three times for the Caltex Socceroos and was part of the squad for last month’s friendly against Korea Republic but didn’t see any game time.
Victory’s decision to sell Antonis to Suwon brings to an end the midfielders hugely successful 18 months at the club.
He played a key role in Victory’s 2017/18 Championship triumph, which included his stunning solo goal in the Semi Final win over Premiers Sydney FC.
Antonis finishes his time at Victory with 53 appearances and five goals across all competitions.
News of Antonis’ departure comes just a day after Victory completed the huge capture of Caltex Socceroos attacker Robbie Kruse.
But their midfield is set to have a very different look next season.
With Antonis on his way to Korea, he joins skipper Carl Valeri (retired), Keisuke Honda and Raul Baena (both released) to have departed the club since the end of the 2018/19 campaign.
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It’s certainly one area coach Marco Kurz will need to strengthen ahead of the new season, while Victory’s first competitive game is just two weeks away, the FFA Cup 2019 Round of 32 clash against Newcastle Jets.
That match will be played at AAMI Park on Wednesday, August 7 and kicks off at 7.30pm (AEST).
OFFICIAL | Suwon Samsung have confirmed the signing of Australian midfielder Terry Antonis from Melbourne Victory. #kleague pic.twitter.com/NOMA77SEPO
— Korea Football News (@KORFootballNews) July 23, 2019
