Goalkeeper Alex Paulsen says potential moves to other clubs were considered before he and Bournemouth decided his best move was a season-long loan to Auckland FC.
Speaking to NewstalkZB sports host D’Arcy Waldegrave, Paulsen (22) explained how he has ended up returning to the men’s A-League so soon after leaving the Wellington Phoenix for the English Premier League’s Bournemouth.
“At the end of the day, being an AFC Bournemouth player, my intention was to get loaned off to a club and, you know, AFC Bournemouth have other sister clubs that they had in mind.
“I was going to have to be loaned off to one of the sister clubs; or, if it wasn’t to be, then it could have been another club either in Europe or anywhere that they see it will help progress my development.
“They felt it was appropriate that I come to Auckland.”
READ MORE: Auckland FC sign former Wellington Phoenix ‘keeper Alex Paulsen on loan >>>>
Texas billionaire Bill Foley’s Black Knight Group owns Bournemouth, has a majority share of Auckland FC and holds stakes in Scottish club Hibernian and French club Lorient.
Foley has made no secret of his desire to add other clubs to the group, and has had talks with clubs in Holland and Belgium.
Paulsen, a onr-cap All White, said he and his Bournemouth club had “an equal amount of say” in the decision about where he would play in the next year.
“We had discussions with Bournemouth; we had discussions with other clubs as well.”
Discussions had been ongoing during the Olympic Games campaign, and Bournemouth had wanted him to participate in the Games as a Bournemouth player.
As for opting to take the move to Auckland FC, Paulsen said: “We just felt it was the best and appropriate move for me to come to Auckland.”
Meanwhile, the Wellington Phoenix have questioned whether the loan can be made between sister clubs, under A-League regulations.
“Most importantly, we don’t know what ‘player registration and salary cap treatment guardrails’ will be in place that APL say will ‘balance development of the A-League while ensuring competition integrity’,” Phoenix general manager David Dome said.
Main photo: Alex Paulsen. Photo: Shane Wenzlick / Phototek.
Listen to Alex Paulsen’s interview
Listen to David Dome interview
This story was first published on August 10, 2024.
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