Wollongong Wolves coach Luke Wilkshire is confident Thomas James will make an immediate impact for Perth Glory when he links up with the A-League club.
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The Englishman has signed with the Glory for the remainder of the season, which will restart when Sydney FC takes on Wellington on Friday night.
Perth will be required to play six matches in just 26 days before a finals campaign as the clubs complete a coronavirus-interrupted competition.
James' call-up comes after a stunning debut season for the Wolves in 2019, the striker claiming the NSW National Premier Leagues' golden boot award with 22 goals before he was named NSW NPL player of the year.
His success in Wollongong came after a dominant run in Canberra and Wilkshire is confident James will successfully make the step up to the A-League.
"This is a massive opportunity for TJ," Wilkshire said. "Being our top goal scorer, the way he's applied himself for us has been outstanding.
"This is what I wanted when we built this team, hungry players who want to go further in their career and to give these guys the opportunity to fulfil their potential.
"I have no doubt that Thomas will excel in the A-League. I've seen it first hand, he's definitely good enough, as are many other players within my squad. Provided they get the opportunity, I've got no doubt they can all step up."
James' move to the A-League comes after prior discussions with Central Coast and a trial with Western United in Melbourne prior to the start of the season.
While the Mariners have struggled in recent years and Western United have experienced a steady debut season, the Glory have been among the competition's best of late.
The defending premiers, Perth fell to Sydney FC in a dramatic penalty shootout in last year's grand final.
The side currently sits fifth on 31 points, however they have two games in hand on fourth-placed Brisbane, who are four points clear, and coach Tony Popovic looks to have the Glory primed for another deep finals run.
Wollongong will no doubt miss their star striker's presence, however they have found a high-quality replacement to help fill the void left by his departure.
The side was in discussions with Peter Simonoski about a return to the club, however those talks fell through.
Instead Wilkshire has settled on another former Wolves player, with Josh Bingham to join the team for the shortened competition.
Bingham's return to Wollongong comes after four seasons with the Central Coast Mariners before a stint in England and a move to Melbourne to play for Hume City in this year's Victorian NPL competition.
"He's been in the A-League before and he wants to get back there," Wilkshire said. "He's a presence up front, he's a big boy, a humble boy and a local boy.
"He's a former Wolves player and it's great to have local talent in the club. Like everyone else, he just wants to play, win and go further in his career. He ticked all the boxes for us."
James isn't the only high-profile player to depart the club in recent weeks, with goalkeeper Justin Pasfield leaving to link up with Wollongong Olympic.
The 2019 captain has been replaced in the squad by his former backup Luke Kairies.
Pasfield has played a key role in the Wolves' success throughout an illustrious career that involved multiple stints at the club. The 35-year-old also played in the A-League and Wilkshire thanked him for his service to the team.
"Justin's been a long servant and he's one of the legends of the club. He's been around a long time and done tremendous things for the club and he'll continue to be involved.
"With a young family and work commitments, the demands for players within the club have grown, it can be hard to keep up."