The Wellington Phoenix have bolstered their midfield for the 2022/2023 A-League season with the signing of veteran midfielder, Steven Ugarkovic on a one-year deal.
The former Newcastle Jets and more recently, the Western Sydney Wanderers player joins to help cover the absence of captain, Alex Rufer, who will miss the start of the season with a knee injury.
The 27-year-old has played 167 A-League matches since making his debut for the Jets 2016. He spent five years with Newcastle and was a key member of the side that made the grand final in 2018.
Ugarkovic featured in all of the Wanderers' 26 games this past season, scoring three and creating another.
"I’ve always liked Steven, even before he signed with Western Sydney," Phoenix head coach Ufuk Talay said.
"Firstly he’s a good person and secondly he’s a very good footballer that has an abundance of experience within the A-League.
"The two sixes play a very important role in our team and to bring in a player of Steven’s quality alongside Clayton Lewis and Nicholas Pennington is a big boost for us.
"He’s a very big signing for the club and I’m very excited to have a player of his calibre within our squad."
The chance to play under Talay at the Phoenix and its fans was too good of an opportunity to pass up for Ugarkovic.
"The big pull is Uffy as a coach. He’s someone I feel like I can learn a lot from, on and off the field," he said.
"His brand of football played an important role in my decision. Playing against Wellington, it’s always hard to break them down. They’re very structured and everyone knows what their job is.
“That’s what I like and that’s what I think I need to go to the next level."
"To experience that crowd there at Eden Park was incredible.
"I’m looking forward to playing in front of the Phoenix fans because the connection with your supporters is important to me."
Ugarkovic will assemble in Wellington early next month for the start of pre-season training and will wear the No.5 shirt for the Phoenix.
