Alex Paulsen (AFC Bournemouth | England) [Loan: Lechia Gdańsk | Poland]

imanixsupporter

I'm genuinely surprised that clubs at that level are that interested in Paulsen. These days he is very short for a keeper. Does any keeper of a similar height at the top level spring to mind, with the possible exception of the Everton keeper? 

Edit: I wouldn't be so afraid of an Auckland loan. Nix hold all the cards, they could demand that he return initially on loan to Wellington if they wanted. I'm sure Alex would prefer that than to be transplanted to Auckland, even if that's where his family is etc

 
Matty Ryan is only 6 ft and theres been a fair few shorter elite keepers from recent like Navas, Ochoa, Bravo, Sommer, Lopes, Raya all around 6ft

Ok so there's a few more than I thought around that height, but I'm pretty sure that none of those are shorter than AP, and the average GK these days is quite a bit taller. AP may be juuuust tall enough to not be written off for his height. 

Honestly I hope we dont rip their hand straight off for this, we can probably get more for him by doing this smartly, assuming there's some truth to the other teams in for him.

Anyone but Liverpool.

As mentioned earlier, fo you risk a great Olympic campaign and potentially double his value?

I don't say this about many players - Usually I'd be happy with whatever the fee.

But we hold all the cards here. Contract until 2027. 
Multiple well resourced clubs interested.

We should be holding out for a lot more here + a very good sell on percentage. 

Either way, this is fully deserved recognition for the lad and the season he's had. Let's hope it amounts to something quite juicy for the club at the end of it. 🙏

Height 193cm.
Right there on the club website https://wellingtonphoenix.com/player/alex-paulsen/

Turns out he's the perfect height for a keeper.

I'd hope we dont take the Bournemouth offer! Sure Paulsen would be wanting to explore it, but he's only had 1 season of pro footy, and yes he's done incredibly well but lets see how he does in year 2. If he has a second great year then sure the offers will be there. As said earlier he's not getting the #1 spot at an EPL club, he'd be loaned out immediately, and why would the Nix want to risk him being loaned to Auckland FC to basically screw us. The $$$$ are great but the optics and impact on the league here are dumb!

I’m sure there may be a few sensitive issues that the Nix could discuss with Bournemouth and one certain loan club. 

Realistically you should take the offer. It’s a fair fee for a player who has had one good season but with question marks whether or not his height or lack of it will stop him progressing at the highest level. The saying a good big man will always beat a good little man is definitely true of goalkeepers!!

Plus allows the club to plan and move forward with a replacement.

The other thing is is the player, who would be rightfully pissed if a premier league deal fell over because we thought we could get a few more pounds of flesh.

He would be the biggest loss of all if he was to leave. He was instrumental in our success this season. All teams that do well and go deep have goalkeepers who are top class. Without one you don't win anything. Irreplaceable imo

It’d be up there with the best deals ever for the club. 

The question is does he want to be playing football? If he goes to Europe now there’s a chance he could spend 3-4 years on the bench. Can that be part of any negotiations? 

Anyway no rush on the transfer window. 

I think part of his ‘height’ thing is that he’s not a ‘bravado’ keeper for want of a better word. Perhaps someone like Jamie Young or Izzo who’s a bit gung-ho. His onfield personality is quite different to any other keeper I’ve ever met. 

I’m excited! Concerned for the next season for the Nix, but very excited. 

martinb

It’d be up there with the best deals ever for the club. 

The question is does he want to be playing football? If he goes to Europe now there’s a chance he could spend 3-4 years on the bench. Can that be part of any negotiations? 

Anyway no rush on the transfer window. 

I think part of his ‘height’ thing is that he’s not a ‘bravado’ keeper for want of a better word. Perhaps someone like Jamie Young or Izzo who’s a bit gung-ho. His onfield personality is quite different to any other keeper I’ve ever met. 

I’m excited! Concerned for the next season for the Nix, but very excited. 

Weirdly I think the bigger the club the less likely he is to spend 3-4 years on the bench. He'd be about 5th choice at Liverpool and far more likely to go out on loan or get regular game time with the youth team.

Seems like there are risks either way.

Taking it now could mean we are selling him at a bargain low price. He's young and you'd hope will only get better, not to mention we've locked him down til 2027. A good Olympics could see the price go up.

Conversely, we could hold out and see him have a terrible Olympics (look who we're playing after all), or extended injury. Couple that with other A-League clubs potentially working out our game plan and the whole squad being at risk of being less effective next season.

On balance I think I'd like to see the club take it but push for a higher fee and absolutely insist on a loan-back to the Phoenix for one season at least.

Well, there's a second factor, what Alex and the people in his corner think is best for him. Marco's dad was all keen to take him to Europe early, which didn't turn out as well as we'd hoped

Doloras

Well, there's a second factor, what Alex and the people in his corner think is best for him. Marco's dad was all keen to take him to Europe early, which didn't turn out as well as we'd hoped

Absolutely and I’m sure the Nix 100% will work with AP on the best outcome for him.

But what young player isn’t going to be excited about the prospect of signing for an EPL club. And yeah I think the Cherries and a loan to Hibs ain’t a bad outcome

But is no rush. I’d definitely wait post Olympics. He’s going to be busy there and hopefully shine more than disappoint

Wonder if this was all known before re-signing talks started with Duncan

i can promise you that he is not 193cm tall. He is significantly shorter than the likes of Zawada, Surman. I have no idea where that number came from. 

Bevan

Height 193cm.
Right there on the club website https://wellingtonphoenix.com/player/alex-paulsen/

Peter Shilton: 1.83m
Peter Schmeichel: 193m
Taller than Shilton, and the same height as Schmeichel. They did okay, so what's the problem again with Paulsen's height?

according to google Paulsen is 1.93m, Surman is 1.90, Zawada is 1.92

Kraev is 189cm and Wootton is 188cm

Alex is probably 187ish

Imagine if he gets loaned back to Auckland.
Happy for the guy, but man that'd be weird as! haha. 

Liverpool was mentioned. Hear me out. Their number one Alisson is no stranger to injuries. Their number two,  Kelleher has signaled he wants out. Their number three Adrian is very old and well past his prime. I mean it wouldn't be completely out of the possibility that Paulsen could get a run there down the line.....

Friar Tuck

Kraev is 189cm and Wootton is 188cm

IMG_6770.jpeg 56.17 KB

IMG_6771.jpeg 67.72 KB

Alex is probably 187ish

Clearly taller than BK in that photo though? More evidence 

martinb

Friar Tuck

Kraev is 189cm and Wootton is 188cm

IMG_6770.jpeg 56.17 KB

IMG_6771.jpeg 67.72 KB

Alex is probably 187ish

Clearly taller than BK in that photo though? More evidence 

BK’s head is slightly slouched and AP has more hair 🤷‍♂️

https://www.gettyimages.co.nz/editorial-images/sport/event/newcastle-utd-a-league-all-stars-men-media-opportunity/776149121

Paulsen standing next to Mark Gillespie in a number of these shots and he is noticeably shorter. Gillespie is listed as 1.91m or 1.92 on transfermarkt and the Newcastle website. 

Guys he's not tall but he's tall enough given 3 clubs are interested. We don't need to sort this down to the mm.

Hopefully he gets a move to a club whose medical team correctly records his height 

Checking out the Bournemouth forum, there’s a thread devoted to new keeper. 

If you join up, let’s make a deal not to talk about height as we don’t want to scare them off.

There is a reference on there- I believe a quote from Alex that he is 6 foot. I don’t know what that is in meters but it’s not 1.93

6ft = 1.82m(ish)

https://wellingtonphoenix.com/news/match-programme-feature-alex-paulsen/

One of the areas of his game he has been working on during the pre-season has been his crossing positioning.

“Because I’m not the tallest of goalkeepers, I’m six foot, so it doesn’t really help me to come claim crosses.

Edit: The (apparently) 1.90m tall Surman towers over Paulsen:

image.png 348.47 KB

Let this be a lesson to people to not blindly trust what a Google Search will tell you. It's only getting worse these days too with the AI nonsense. 

No more inane posts of Paulsen's height would be a good thing.

How is Alby Kelly-Heald going in Central League?
What Nix team is Matt Foord (last year's NZ U17s keeper) playing for?

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/350296808/wellington-phoenix-keeper-alex-paulsen-verge-big-english-premier-league-move

Wellington Phoenix keeper Alex Paulsen is on the verge of a career-defining move to the English Premier League in a deal worth more than $4 million.

The 21-year-old shot stopper was reportedly a target for Chelsea and Liverpool but could be heading to Bournemouth, according to the UK’s Sky Sports.

Bournemouth’s bid was reportedly worth £850,000 (NZ$1.77m) and could rise to £2 million (NZ$4.2m) with bonuses. It’s the sort of deal neither the Phoenix nor Paulsen can turn down.

When the google search references the club's own website you kinda have to belief it until proven otherwise, I'd assume there is a typo on the clubs website, maybe they were meant to put 1.83m which would be 6ft.

Elemenop

Imagine if he gets loaned back to Auckland.
Happy for the guy, but man that'd be weird as! haha. 

Easy enough to add a clause for the first right of refusal for any loans to ALM clubs.

If Monty was still in charge of Hibs, maybe that could have been an option but he got sacked.

Plenty of lower league teams loan Keepers, so loads of chances to get game time.

We also really need to tie this guy to the All Whites. You'd think that would happen next month at the OFC Nations Cup. I was under the impression he was of Vanuatuan descent (I'm sure I read that somewhere). I just checked his wikipedia which says his parents are South African. I don't keep up with eligibility rules but you'd think if he was signed to a Premier League club and was eligible then South Africa's FA would take notice. And while it seems like he's grown up in the NZ set-up you'd think playing for South Africa would have some appeal.

Born in NZ though so may not have SA passport or citizenship.

Da da. Hibs first choice keeper 39 yr old David Marshall released
https://www.yardbarker.com/soccer/articles/former_celtic_goalkeeper_released_by_premiership_side/s1_15974_40424120

Hibs would be a great landing spot for him, I just dont want the nix to lose him.

2nd best EPL signing of a 'Kiwi' keeper!

If Paulsen is at €850k makes him about half the value of Gauci, who went straight on Villa's EPL bench this season. Useful barometer for Welnix

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/feb/02/joe-gauci-signs-joins-aston-villa-premier-league-epl-goalkeeper-socceroos-australian-record-transfer-deal#:~:text=Gauci%20moves%20to%20Villa%20for,Brighton%20and%20Hove%20Albion's%20academy.

Joe Gauci has just signed the contract as new Aston Villa goalkeeper from Adelaide United. €1.5m fee plus add-ons, contract until June 2028.

Elemenop

Imagine if he gets loaned back to Auckland.
Happy for the guy, but man that'd be weird as! haha. 

I will boo him if his plays for Auckland.

theprof

When the google search references the club's own website you kinda have to belief it until proven otherwise, I'd assume there is a typo on the clubs website, maybe they were meant to put 1.83m which would be 6ft.

The Nix website has made some notorious height errors, as they have difficulty editing heights after they're first inputted. I learned this after I queried them listing Libby Cacace as 170cm for his entire duration at the club, which is just insane lol

For some of these guys, it's best not to trust any source - I usually estimate by comparison using Getty Images, where the player's standing side-by-side with a Visa player who's had their height measured properly!

loyalgunner

We also really need to tie this guy to the All Whites. You'd think that would happen next month at the OFC Nations Cup. I was under the impression he was of Vanuatuan descent (I'm sure I read that somewhere). I just checked his wikipedia which says his parents are South African. I don't keep up with eligibility rules but you'd think if he was signed to a Premier League club and was eligible then South Africa's FA would take notice. And while it seems like he's grown up in the NZ set-up you'd think playing for South Africa would have some appeal.

SA dad, Namibian mother, and eligible for both countries. I'm sure both federations have contacted him already, but it would certainly be the shock of the century if he ever switched