Perth Glory have completed a double-swoop of former Wellington Phoenix defenders, signing experienced English centre-back Scott Wootton on a two-year deal.
Wootton joins the club after former Phoenix teammate Sam Sutton’s arrival on Monday afternoon; the two ex-Wellington defenders add experience and quality to a Glory squad looking to vastly improve on a wooden spoon finish in the 2024-25 Isuzu UTE A-League season.
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Upon signing a two-year deal with Perth, Wootton expressed his desire to help the club rise up the Isuzu UTE A-League table, and identified his conversations with Glory football director Stan Lazaridis as a key factor in his decision to depart the Phoenix, where he made 94 league appearances over the last four seasons.
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“I’m really looking forward to starting my next chapter here at Perth Glory,” he said.
“After speaking initially with Stan Lazaridis, it very quickly became a very easy decision for me. He ticked every box you want to hear as a player.
“At first, he was very honest about the situation that he inherited and extremely passionate and enthusiastic about the changes he wanted to make to the culture of the club and the direction he wants to take the team moving forward, which is to be competing at the top end of the league and winning trophies.
“It was refreshing to hear his determination and we share the same ambitions.
“He, along with the Gaffer (head coach David Zdrilic), then outlined their plans for the club and how ambitious he is going to be with the players he will be signing and the players that will be staying at the club and it was something that really excited me.
“I understand it’s been a frustrating number of seasons for the fan base, but I can assure them that myself and the team being put together for next season and beyond will be fighting for their club every single week to make sure that Glory are competing towards the top of the league.
“We need to start the season well and carry that momentum forward and the fans getting behind the team will be integral to that.”
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Lazaridis highlighted Wootton’s leadership as a standout facet of his game, while welcoming the experienced Englishman to Perth.
“As well as being one of the very best central defenders in the A-League over the past few years, Scott is also a leader,” Lazaridis said.
“His vast experience will be hugely beneficial for us as a team overall and in particular, for the up-and-coming defenders we have at the club who are still finding their feet at senior level.
“He provides a commanding, calming presence in the backline and is a good distributor of the ball as well.
“We’re looking forward to Scott playing a major role in driving the club forward this year.”
