Perth Glory is delighted to confirm that New Zealand international defender Sam Sutton has signed a three-year deal with the club.
The 23-year-old has spent the last decade at Wellington Phoenix, joining the club’s academy at the age of 14 before going on to rack up more than 100 senior appearances in all competitions.
A dynamic left-back, he made 23 starts for the Kiwi side last term, winning 30 tackles, delivering 63 crosses and claiming one goal and one assist.
At international level, meanwhile, he won Under-23 caps for New Zealand before debuting for the All Whites during last year’s successful OFC Nations Cup campaign.
Sutton is now looking forward to opening a new chapter in his career here in the West.
“I decided to sign for Perth for many reasons,” he said.
“Firstly, I’ve been there many times and it’s definitely my favourite city in Australia, but more importantly, the passion, belief and ambition I got from [Head Coach] David Zdrilic and [Football Director] Stan Lazaridis was the key determining factor.
“Their hunger to win trophies matches mine and I’m eager to start the season already.
“I believe in the calibre of players we are keeping and the ones we intend to bring in and hope we can win some silverware.”
Lazaridis is confident that Sutton will prove to be an excellent pick-up for the club.
“Sam is someone we’ve been monitoring for a while,” he said, “and he has all the attributes required to really fit our playing style.
“He’s a tenacious defender with a great engine who also likes to get forward and is capable of providing quality delivery into the box.
“At 23, we believe we have signed him at a great time and that he will continue his development into one of the best left-backs in the A-League.”
Further squad announcements will be made shortly.
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