Alex Paulsen transfer saga: Who are the winners and losers?

analyze – When Luis Figo left Barcelona for rivals Real Madrid in 2010, the hostility from the fans even led one fan to throw a dismembered pig’s head at the Portuguese superstar. Former Wellington Phoenix goalkeeper Alex Paulsen is likely to receive a much gentler welcome when he returns to the Sky Arena As a player for the Oakland Football Club on November 2. Nonetheless, his loan move to New Zealand just two months after leaving another New Zealand professional football club certainly adds extra firepower to an increasingly fierce domestic competition.

So who are the winners and losers in this New Zealand transfer saga?

Winners

Auckland Football Club

The winner in all of this is clear. The A-League’s newest team has pulled off a huge transfer coup by bringing in a defender who was a standout performer in last season’s league campaign.

With experienced Tommie Smith and title-winner Dan Hall up front, not to mention seasoned Japanese defender Hiroki Sakai, the newcomers are shaping up to be a formidable defensive unit.

Melbourne City

Paulson’s deal effectively spells the end of the so-called “Caceres clause”. For the uninitiated, A-League teams cannot buy and sell players to each other. The rule was circumvented in 2016 when Premier League giants Manchester City signed Anthony Caceres from Central Coast Mariners and then immediately loaned him to sister club Melbourne City.

As a result, the “Caceres Clause” was introduced to prevent a repeat, but clubs around the league, including Phoenix, support modifying it to make deals like Paulson’s possible.

The matter still needs to be ratified by Football Federation Australia. However, it is widely believed that it is only a matter of time, which will pave the way for clubs with multiple ownership models such as Melbourne City and now Auckland to have huge potential advantages in the transfer market.

All White

With World Cup qualifiers fast approaching, Darren Bezelli’s national team is set to have a big season ahead of them. While Max Crocombe appears to be New Zealand’s number one at the moment, Paulson’s regular appearances, and more importantly, locally, will be seen as a big boost in the near term.

Alex Paulson

One thing that was never guaranteed for Paulsen when he left Phoenix for the Premier League was regular playing time. But that is no longer the case as he is set to be a starter for Steve Corica’s side this season.

Playing for an exciting new club in his homeland only adds to the specialness of this deal.

loser

Alex Paulson

You can look at this in two ways for the 22-year-old, but the negatives are likely to outweigh the positives.

Paulson has proven himself at this level and is ready to move up a level. This could be a lateral or even backward step.

AFC Bournemouth

Other potential temporary moves never materialised, for whatever reason, including a switch to another Foley-owned club, Scottish top-flight side Hibernian.

Such a deal makes sense. A clear but incremental step up in quality, intensity and scrutiny would help prepare Paulsen for the rigors of the English game. Returning to a league where he has proven himself, not to mention a starter team with a shortened league format compared to Europe? It doesn’t seem to be in the long-term best interests of his new parent club.

Michael Wood

When Paulson was announced as one of the first new players to join the new club, his fellow Aucklander was probably happy to finally get regular game time.

But having spent the past two years in a supporting role with Japan’s Kyoto Sanga, he now faces the unenviable task of usurping the mantle of the A-League’s current best goalkeeper to avoid a repeat of the past in his own backyard.

A-League and Australian Football

While it looked like Paulson’s deal would eventually be approved, the fact that he is currently technically in limbo came as a shock to those in power.

Changes to the ‘Cáceres Clause’ have been formally proposed since May but have yet to be approved, which has left us in this messy situation – one that does neither the player nor the club any good.

Hopefully a solution will be found soon.

Wellington Phoenix

Phoenix handled the situation with absolute grace, and general manager David Dohm publicly wished their former player the best.

However, from a purely footballing perspective, the development will hurt last year’s losing semi-finalists – three of their past four first-team defenders (Oli Sale to Perth Glory and Philippe Courteau to Macarthur) have ended up joining league rivals.

Paulson’s departure was followed by the departure of his deputy, Jack Duncan, which left the Knicks without a recognized first-team goaltender heading into the new season.

With affordable trans-Tasman options dwindling, the Phoenix may have to look to import a goalkeeper. Director of football Sean Gill faces a tough task and at this rate they may have to remove Jacob Spoonley from the commentary box.