Perth Glory is delighted to confirm that A-League Championship-winning attacking midfielder Lachlan Wales has joined the club for the remainder of the 2024/25 Isuzu UTE A-League season, subject to international clearance.
The 27-year-old initially rose to prominence with his local club, Central Coast Mariners, before completing a 2018 move to Melbourne City where he went on to make more than 50 ALM appearances.
The former Australia Under-23 international duly joined Western United and swiftly established himself as one of the most effective creative players in the competition.
In four seasons with United, he played more than 100 games, scored 13 goals, provided 16 assists and was an integral part of the side which won the A-League Championship in 2022.
Following a spell in Korea with Gyeongnam FC, Wales is now relishing the prospect of returning to the A-League with Glory.
“Speaking to everyone here and hearing how ambitious the coaches are and where they want to see the club grow to, I want to jump on board now as quickly as I can and I know there are good times ahead here,” he said.
“I’m really looking forward to meeting all the fans.
“The times I’ve come to Perth as an away player during my A-League career, I’ve seen some really good crowds here and that atmosphere really gives the home players a lift.
“It would be great to see as many people as possible getting along to the next few games and hopefully we can get some results and really build that fan base back up.
“I’m lucky enough to have played with some of the boys here and against a lot of them, so I know how they play and I’ve been watching the recent games.
“I know the qualities I can bring to the team and it’s not just on the field, it’s off the field helping the younger players and getting them to understand professional football and the ups and downs of it.
“Once you ride those disappointing times, there are good times around the corner and I’m here to help them with that and on the field, to bring a lot of energy.
“I’m quick and dynamic and hopefully I can get the fans off their seats.”
Glory Football Director Stan Lazaridis is thrilled to have brought a player of Wales’ calibre on board.
“Lachie has shown that he has the ability to be one of the very best attacking midfielders in the A-League and we’re really excited to see him performing in the famous purple,” he said.
“He’s quick, provides top-class delivery and can play anywhere across the front third, which is obviously a huge plus.
“We’ve been tracking him for over a year as he exactly fits the profile of player we are looking to bring in and I believe he is a signing that our Members and fans should be very excited about.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Glory Head Coach David Zdrilic.
“Lachie is a very gifted player who knows what’s required to win the A-League,” he said, “and he’s also a great character who will complement our predominantly young group.
“We tried to sign him at the start of the season, but were unfortunately unable to, so we’re delighted that we’ve now managed to bring him in.
“His arrival will significantly enhance our efforts to deliver major on-field improvement during the remainder of the current campaign.”
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