Alex Paulsen has earned a dream move to Premier League club Bournemouth after an impressive season between the sticks at the Wellington Phoenix.
The deal is reportedly worth $4 million and Paulsen's departure will rank as the highest outgoing transfer in Phoenix history, breaking the record previously held by Sarpreet Singh's move to Bayern Munich in 2019.
"It means the world to me, my family and to my friends to be offered an opportunity to play in the best league on the planet, which most aspiring young footballers only dream of," said Paulsen.
The 21-year-old played every minute of the 2023-24 A-League season and brought up a club record of 11 clean sheets in 27 league matches this season. He also saved three penalties.
Paulsen was voted captain of the Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) team of the year and was voted as the fans' A-League player of the year. He started in goal for the A-League All Stars in their match against Newcastle United last month.
Bournemouth is owned by American businessman Bill Foley – who also owns New Zealand's new A-League side, Auckland FC.
Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano said he was thrilled by Paulsen's move and that his move aligns with the club's transfer strategy.
"The goal from day one was playing the young guys, getting them in the shop window and giving them the ability to progress to the next level," said Italiano.
Paulsen would become the second Kiwi currently playing in the Premier League alongside All Whites striker Chris Wood who plays for Nottingham Forrest.
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