WPM 2025/26 Squad Speculation, Confirmation and Mutual Termination

ballane

AucklandPhoenix

Looking at his record, I would say not inspiring and very much what you would call an Australian journeyman in recent times

I don’t know why he didn’t figure much last year but I would hope it was injury in a way because that was a leaky defence 

If an injury then also a risk

Can’t imagine the Nix would go there.

Goes against everything they stand for and should do a lot better

But not likely to be Auckland they havnt lost a CB have they. Or has Smith gone.

I guess all be potentially revealed from Tuesday (July 1st). Some player movements, north or south of the equator should be announced from then.

Beading can also play as a DM. Seems that's where he played most of his early career. Non visa, so a useful squaddie utility signing for the Nix?

Josh Laws set to leave WSW. Good squad option.

Big week this week I think 

AucklandPhoenix

Big week this week I think 

Bloody hope so

austin111

Irish golden boot holder kiwi Moses Dyer rumoured to be going to Cambodian prem club. He has a release clause of $100,000+from his Irish club. Hes had a good season. But i guess the Nix doesnt have $$ to be paying release clauses. I wonder if AFC would?

The Cambodian prem? It's tough, kid, but it's life 

Napier's 20 yr old Sam Lack. Worthy of a trial at the Nix?

Scoring a few in the Central League, and Auckland had a look at him last year. Squaddie backup to a visa 10?

If not yet the ALM, you'd hope he's the type of promising youngster on the NZ domestic scene, who can get a gig with one of two NZ teams in the upcoming OFC Pro League.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/hot-shot-no-lack-of-goals-as-super-sam-hunts-pro-football-dream/7DHZS7XP65GIHFPZNF2CP5ZMZ4/

Like so many other talented young players, he would love to one day become a fulltime professional and have football pay his wage.

He had a sniff at it before Auckland FC’s debut season in the A-League, spending three days on trial at the club.
 

It was his first taste of being in a fully professional football environment.

“But on my last day I was a bit unfortunate because I had to pull out of the [trial] game because my shin started playing up,” he said.

He would love another crack at fulfilling his pro football dream.

MetalLegNZ

Josh Laws set to leave WSW. Good squad option.

Grab him in a heartbeat. He did pretty good and could pass, not hoof.

Nagasawa is back in Wellington so he is obviously here for training and won't be getting an early release. 
Very quiet on other signings, hopefully have something this week or at least a rumour other than Donachie

For some reason I was thinking there would be a signing on 1.7

Alas not

Simon B

Recruitment problem solved.

 Couldn't do worse than what we saw last season 

👀

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 “Be nice”? 😂 

Cola goneburger

No real surprises there, but hopefully the announcements of players contracts not being renewed means we might get some news of signings soon

https://wellingtonphoenix.com/news/phoenix-confirm-departures-of-three-mens-players/

Thank you Stefan Colakovski, Chico Geraldes and Dublin Boon 💛

Unfortunately, we only got to see all three of them in Phoenix colours for a limited amount of time.
Knee injuries cut-short both Stefan’s and Chico’s promising seasons, while Dublin was stuck behind two quality… pic.twitter.com/qaDYwNecMg

— Wellington Phoenix 🔥 (@WgtnPhoenixFC) July 2, 2025

Procrastinixing

👀

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 "Hey Shaun, you planning on signing anyone or just running with the kids?"

I’m not going to click on that twitter link, just in case Gill or Dome have decided they have two quality “keepers”

coochiee

https://wellingtonphoenix.com/news/phoenix-confirm-departures-of-three-mens-players/

Thank you Stefan Colakovski, Chico Geraldes and Dublin Boon 💛

Unfortunately, we only got to see all three of them in Phoenix colours for a limited amount of time.
Knee injuries cut-short both Stefan’s and Chico’s promising seasons, while Dublin was stuck behind two quality… pic.twitter.com/qaDYwNecMg

— Wellington Phoenix 🔥 (@WgtnPhoenixFC) July 2, 2025

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I guess it would have been tough to bring in a new coach with the bulk of the squad still on contract. Chiefy has made his bed a bit there. A lot of those players are off contract next season so probably a better time for a fresh start. With that in mind. Be interesting to see with any new players how long there contracts will be.

Like Rollo said there are some glaring holes there with just 2 imports to play with.

It is really obvious they need to sign a kiwi who has a good shot at hitting  the ground running and potentially making an immediate impact

Think they should be all over De Jong for the attacking midfielder spot

AucklandPhoenix

Like Rollo said there are some glaring holes there with just 2 imports to play with.

It is really obvious they need to sign a kiwi who has a good shot at hitting  the ground running and potentially making an immediate impact

Think they should be all over De Jong for the attacking midfielder spot

There's a couple of Kiwi lads that are coming down and trialling from out of the Northern League.
 
One is probably on the ground down there already, and the other is linking up in a week or so.

Really they need 2 players capable of playing in that AM role. I'm guessing a visa player and then a non visa backup.

Whenever Rojas or Chico were out injured last season the football was horrible. You go into this new season, with just one AM and then that player gets injured, you just know it will be mud all over again. With the creative Cola released, even more so a need for at least 2 players who can basically slot in as a 10 in need. That's unless Chiefy has plans for Ishige to do that job?

Locals at CB & LB. If those Donachie rumours are true then it will be a non visa CB signing.

Visas at AM & striker. ADJ yes not a bad call as that secondary AM. 
Someone like Seth Clark from the NSW NPL (having a good season at Sydney Olympic) a potentially cheap backup alternative.

Edit - with Dublin Boon released, young Garrow from Auckland City might be a chance for a scholarship deal.

As much as we need senior players who can hit the ground running, is Kian Donkers worth a shout? Back in NZ, according to another thread

Ranix

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I guess it would have been tough to bring in a new coach with the bulk of the squad still on contract. Chiefy has made his bed a bit there. A lot of those players are off contract next season so probably a better time for a fresh start. With that in mind. Be interesting to see with any new players how long there contracts will be.

5 of those 18 are scholarship players and, iirc, don't count to squad size so would need at least 5 first team signings (which could include scholarship players signing first team contracts) to meet minimum squad size.

Genuinely can't see how we build a competitive squad with no Kosta and 3 imports who are barely at average local level 

valeo

Genuinely can't see how we build a competitive squad with no Kosta and 3 imports who are barely at average local level 

My exact fear. We have too many players not up too it, including 2 out of our 3 imports. 

Not sure where we are going to find Kiwis ready to go.

Sorry I'm glass half empty today.

Procrastinixing

👀

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Are we still getting his answers? They're leaving it quite late!

It was posted yesterday saying 'Answers coming tomorrow'

Maybe they are quietly burying it after seeing the questions sent in?

So everyone contracted is staying. No mutual terminations. 

We are in advanced negotiations with a foreign (visa) player who is intended to be Kosta's replacement.

Pretty cool that Gill did this Q&A

Edit: and OFC pro league still sounds like a real possibility for the Nix

Shaun Gill answers your questions from the internet.

Watch the full video below 👇https://t.co/eyt4bxfAF2 pic.twitter.com/PsIDFofXMO

— Wellington Phoenix 🔥 (@WgtnPhoenixFC) July 2, 2025

And in article format for those who prefer to read

Read the article and transcript here:https://t.co/oqhO7mseJW

— Wellington Phoenix 🔥 (@WgtnPhoenixFC) July 2, 2025

Just watching the video now, Gill says that they're not aiming or focusing on signing anyone who is off-contract or moving around the A-League.

No Donachie then I guess.

Gill spoke again about recruitment priorities being CB, #9, #10 and a local LB. Never been any mention in several pressers/interviews of looking to add a midfielder, which is a bit mystifying as nobody who played at CM for us last year had anything close to a good season. Reasonable to expect Rufer to be better but hard to believe anyone else will be.  

I'm so worried about our attack this season too. Currently we have Ishige, Supyk, LBS & Walker, and that is it. Ishige is pretty average as far as imports go and none of those kids are good enough yet to be regulars. Guess you can say GSR too? Haven't seen enough of him at first team level but hard to be confident he is good enough yet either.

So it becomes extremely important that the #9 & #10 we sign are good, hit the ground running & stay fit
otherwise we are in big trouble.

Could have some locals signed before the Wrexham game, visas unlikely though.

HattyCW

Just watching the video now, Gill says that they're not aiming or focusing on signing anyone who is off-contract or moving around the A-League.

No Donachie then I guess.

I didn’t interpret it as in we aren’t signing anyone from that market, more just that it wasn’t a priority. Gill indicated it would be a local CB (so Kiwi/Aussie). 

Two very concerning aspects if we believe the coach and ceo’s comments from last season as being truthful and not just covering their ass.

1: Coach- harped on about last seasons off season being disruptive. Well I can’t see this season being better but worse. No import players likely signed early to embed into an off season and all the kids will be heading off to the under 20 World Cup. How can this be better?

2: Dome in Donald Trump fashion solely laid the blame on last season on the migrants - imports.

Well this far we have lost likely our most promising to injury, the next best fudgeed off to the competition with an All White local and we are left with what I imagine Dome viewed as the bad migrants still here. Despite calling them directly out as responsible they are still here and will be next season. Despite his bluster he hasn’t managed to move them on.

I would also imagine they would rightfully feel preety disgruntled employees after their big cheese laid into them as being responsible for the shark show last season.

ppl

Not a very inspiring read.

We always aim for to win the league. Really?? Surely we can't be thinking we will randomly win the league this year based off what our squad looks like.

No imports before the wrexham game is a wasted opportunity to get some excitement around the team. 

Basically he's saying we have been In a "good" position each of the past 2 years. And we have 18 now so we arent filling loads of gaps....  is he joking??
I've posted this before. But out of the semi final loss we only have rufer and payne left from that XI!!!  Which on paper was one of our most successful teams ever.

We have lost players we could have paid more to stay. Pennington, Kraev etc. 

Wonder if any of those 2 players from the Northern League coming down to trial, are from ACFC? Specifically any of their experienced CBs like Nikko Boxall, Mitchell, den Heijer or Gray? Bayern Munich ain't in the A League.

Any experienced LBs around the Northern League that could step up?
Kelvin Kalua (still only 25) is solely a RB?

CB & LB are the two positions they are going to fill with Kiwis/Aussies.

From the Q&A with Gill, the Nix have enough young guys on scholarships for now.


How is recruitment going? Will we focus on youth or sign players who are older?

The focus is definitely not on youth. We signed a significant amount of scholarship players last year so largely we have those scholarship players in place for this season. 

We did some pretty thorough reviews off the back of the last A-League men’s season and one of the identifiers for us are young and old, and we sort of lost that middle ground a little bit. So, a key focus of the recruitment of those three key positions that we spoke about will be around trying to get players in that middle age bracket, sort of 25, 26 plus and not trying to go too deep into the 30s. 

The balance of the squad is quite critical for us and getting players in that mid to late 20s age bracket is really critical. 

Never ceases to amaze me how some seem to think the answer is throwing money at players to try and get them to stay. At some point the club has to stop increasing the offers,if players want to go no point going crazy on what you offer.
I can imagine the stink on here if the club was to over pay for a couple of players meaning they had less to offer others.
 They cant seem to win one year they get hammered because they have signed players on 1yr contracts. Then when they sign some players on two year deals they get hammered again for not releasing them because they arnt what people want.
Despite what some may claim we dont lose more players than other clubs at the end of a season.
You bet i wish we could have already signed some players but with about 4 months to go before the A League starts and the European transfer market only just opening im prepared to cut them some slack at the moment.
At least it looks like one of our teams will be really competitive.

Some of the vitriol on social media has been absolutely disgusting and pointless - props to Gill for fronting up and answering some dumb questions.

All clubs go through ups and downs and it wasn't long ago that we had our best ever season. I think the coming season will likely be another down, but who knows - we thought that with Italiano's first season too. That's what makes football interesting.