From the bright lights of the English Premier League all the way to WIN Stadium, the Wellington Phoenix have signed former Brighton and Hove Albion and Israeli international striker Tomer Hemed as a marquee player.
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At 33, Hemed scored 30 goals in 97 appearances for the English south coastal club, as well as 17 in 37 caps for Israel.
Now he will move to the NSW South Coast where the Phoenix have setup camp in preparation for the upcoming A-League season.
The Phoenix will play all their home games in Wollongong, beginning in round two on January 2 against Sydney FC, after a trip to Queensland to play Brisbane Roar to start the campaign.
"Tomer is a highly skilled player with a pedigree as a goal scorer and creator," Wellington coach Ufuk Talay said.
"It's no secret the club was looking to improve its frontline with an experienced visa player, and Tomer provides what we - and no doubt the fans - think we need to improve on last season, someone who can convert our chances on goal and distribute to others.
"Once he settles into life in Australia, the A-League and the club's style of play, the sky's the limit for Tomer and I believe he's going to turn a lot of heads this season.
"The Phoenix and the A-League are lucky to have a player of Tomer's calibre on the pitch."
Hemed also played for Charlton Athletic, Queens Park Rangers, as well as Spanish clubs Mallorca and Almeria and in Israel with Maccabi Haifa.
The Phoenix finished third last season behind Sydney FC and Melbourne City, before being knocked out of the finals by Perth.
In a statement, Hemed said that is 'a special moment in his career' to play for the Phoenix and be part of the A-League for the first time.
"At the end of last season I sat down with my family and we talked about what would be the next step on my career; I've played in La Liga, the Premier League, Championship and fulfilled a lot of my career goals, but we thought it was time to do something more exciting, something special," says Hemed.
"When the opportunity [with the Phoenix] came up, we thought it was the best move for me as a player and for my family too - I've heard great things about the club and I know they had a special season last season.
"We can't wait to start this adventure and a new challenge."
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Tim Barrow
When it comes to sport - at professional and community level - in the Illawarra, I'm here to provide insight, context and opinion, as well as the latest news you won't find anywhere else.
When it comes to sport - at professional and community level - in the Illawarra, I'm here to provide insight, context and opinion, as well as the latest news you won't find anywhere else.
