Wellington Phoenix bring ex-Tottenham goalkeeper to A-League

Wellington Phoenix have a new number one goalkeeper after signing former Tottenham shot-stopper Josh Oluwayemi.

The 23-year-old English-Nigerian goalkeeper arrives from Finnish club FC Lahti for the 2024-25 Isuzu UTE A-League season, replacing Alex Paulsen in Wellington.

Oluwayemi spent 11 years at Tottenham, where he played for their Under-18 and U23 teams before leaving the Premier League giants in 2022.

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Following a loan spell at Maidenhead United, he joined Portsmouth in 2022 and made four appearances in League One before leaving the English club in January this year.

Oluwayemi has represented England at U15 level, while he was also called up by Nigeria’s senior national team for a friendly against Mexico in 2021.

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“Ruben (Parker) sent me clips of the way the Phoenix played last season and it was very, very exciting,” Oluwayemi said. “It seemed like all of the players were in tune with how they play.

“Seeing their game style and the quality is what really compelled me to come over to play on the other side of the world. The A-League is a brilliant league and Wellington’s a brilliant team that did very well last season.

“I’m chuffed to be joining a bunch of lads that have quality and a team that have done so
well.”

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During Jose Mourinho’s tenure as Tottenham boss, he frequently included Oluwayemi in Spurs’ first-team training, where he learned from the likes of Hugo Lloris and Joe Hart.

After Mourinho’s departure and appointment at Serie A giants Roma, the goalkeeper was linked with a move to the Italian capital.

“Before the move to Finland I had other options within the UK, but I wanted to challenge myself and show another side of my football that I think I possess,” added Oluwayemi, who played 13 games for Lahti.

“I want to continue to show other people and myself the level I can get to whilst playing that style in terms of playing out from the back, that sweeper ’keeper role.

“In terms of my impact on the team I’d hope to have a very strong impact; be a livewire for
my teammates and improve upon last season.

“I’m excited to get to work, play my heart out for the fans, and show what I’m about.”

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Oluwayemi is the 19th player contracted to Wellington’s Isuzu UTE A-League squad for the 2024-25 campaign, and joins Luke Brooke-Smith, Marco Rojas and Paulo Retre as new faces at the Phoenix.

“Josh has a fantastic presence. He’s got a good command of his box, communicates well and is very good with his feet,” said Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano.

“Being able to play out from the back was a big factor when we looked at goalkeepers. Stylistically I’m not going to change as a coach and it’s very important we keep building on what we did last season.

“I think Josh will add to the way we want to play. His presence in the box is going to be very
valuable.”