Defender Finn Surman has become the third Wellington Phoenix graduate to complete a high-profile move abroad in this transfer window, joining MLS side Portland Timbers.
The centre-back’s move to the USA follows teammates Alex Paulsen (Bournemouth) and Ben Old (Saint-Etienne) securing life-changing deals in Europe on the back of a record-breaking Isuzu UTE A-League season for the Phoenix.
“It’s kind of a ‘pinch me’ moment,” Surman said.
“It’s not something I really expected, but it’s something that really excites me now that it’s happening.
“I’m stoked for Alex and for Ben as well because we’re all pretty close. We’ve played a lot together throughout the years at the academy and played a lot together this season.
“Deep down what every young footballer wants to do is push on and find the highest level that they can get to, so we’re all having a crack at that in our different ways.”
The 20-year-old enjoyed a breakout season in Wellington, starting all 29 matches as the Phoenix reached the semi-finals and broke their club record for most points in a campaign.
Surman memorably scored a stoppage time match-winner against Melbourne Victory in Round 24, although it was later credited as an own goal.
The former New Zealand Under-20 captain also made his All Whites debut late last year and started all of their matches in Vanuatu on the way to winning the recent OFC Nations Cup.
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“I feel like it’s a good step for me moving from the A-League to the MLS,” he said.
“I think the jump for a centre-back like myself is not too big and there are going to be opportunities to play if I take my chances and that’s something that’s important to me.
“I see Portland as a place I can continue to develop and hopefully take the next step in my career.”
He continued: “I believe people are products of their environment and I wouldn’t be the person and player I am today without the Wellington Phoenix.
“A special thank you to Chiefy, Griffs and Uffie for helping me to develop and play the game I love at a professional level.
“But it’s not just the players and the staff who make the club, it’s also the volunteers and the fans.
“This season was pretty special for me. Every time I walked out at Sky Stadium in front of the home fans, I felt so proud to be able to play for the Wellington Phoenix
“Even though the result didn’t go our way in our final game, to be able to fill the stadium was something incredibly special and I’ll never forget that night.
“I want to thank all the fans and the club as a whole for allowing me to be able to experience professional football.”
Italiano, who helped several young players take major strides in their professional careers in his first season in charge in Wellington, congratulated Surman on his move.
“I’m extremely happy for Finn,” Italiano said. “I think he deserves it, especially off the back of a great season.
“We saw in pre-season that he showed a lot of promise, so we didn’t go with a foreign centre back. He took the initiative and was one of our most consistent performers.
“Finn will be sorely missed, but his departure provides an opportunity for Isaac Hughes or Lukas Kelly-Heald to step into that role.”
Meanwhile, the club’s Director of Football Shaun Gill spoke glowingly as this deal added to the greatest transfer window in the history of the Wellington Phoenix.
“These are the three biggest outgoing transfers in the club’s history and for them to come in one window is simply incredible,” Gill said.
“It’s no coincidence Finn, AP and Oldie have all come through our academy and it shows we’ve developed a world class high performance pathway for young Kiwi footballers.
“Our staff, both at Fraser Park and at NZCIS, deserve a lot of credit for the roles they’ve played in their development as players and people.
“We look forward to helping other young New Zealanders realise their dreams of playing abroad in the years to come.”
