Football: The All Whites playing for new clubs this season

Elijah Just

From Motherwell to Swansea City

Fee: $13.8 million

The All Whites’ all-time top World Cup goalscorer managed to secure Motherwell a club-record fee from English Championship club Swansea City, with the 26-year-old signing a three-year contract with an option for an extra 12 months.

It wasn’t just his World Cup performances that secured him a move, but a stellar season in Scotland saw him named Motherwell’s Player of the Year and the Players’ player of the Year, earn a spot in the PFA (Professional Footballers’ Association) team of the season, a nomination for the PFA Player of the Year and be handed the Scottish Football Writers’ Association player of the year award.

So far, he’s played four times for his new club, who sit on top of the league on 10 points.

Callum McCowatt

From Silkeborg IF to AGF

Fee: $3.93 million

The 27-year-old committed his future to the Danish league with a move from rivals Silkeborg IF to Superliga champions AGF.

Reports from Denmark said the forward turned down offers from Major League Soccer’s Minnesota United in order to stay in the European nation.

He was named Silkeborg’s player of the year last season, having also spent time at FC Helsingor and the Wellington Phoenix.

Sarpreet Singh

From FK TSC to Farense

Fee: Undisclosed

The midfielder’s loan move back to the Wellington Phoenix from Serbian outfit FK TSC didn’t go to plan after he suffered a knee injury in his first game back with the club.

This will be the second time he plays in Portugal’s second division, having previously turned out for Leiria.

The 27-year-old’s most publicised transfer came in 2019 when he joined Bayern Munich, but he has since had spells at Nuremburg, Regensburg and Hansa Rostock.

Tim Payne

From the Wellington Phoenix to Club Olimpia

Fee: $692,473

The World Cup’s “main character” decided to leave New Zealand for Paraguay and the country’s most successful team, Club Olimpia.

Payne joined the Wellington Phoenix in 2019 from Eastern Suburbs after he had bounced around clubs in England and the United States.

In his short time with the Paraguayan side, he has played three times and provided one assist.

Alex Paulsen

From Bournemouth to Motherwell

Fee: Loan

The goalkeeper has been loaned out by Premier League club AFC Bournemouth for the third time since joining them in 2024.

This time, he is much closer to England and will play for Motherwell, with his last two moves being to Auckland FC and Polish outfit Lechia Gdansk.

We won’t see him link up with Just this season after the midfielder’s move to Swansea, but Paulsen has settled into life well in Scotland, starting 10 times for Motherwell, who sit third in the Scottish Premiership.

Jesse Randall

From Auckland FC to Dundee United

Fee: Free

Randall’s move to Scotland was known before the World Cup and he has managed to hit the ground running, scoring one goal and assisting another in his five Scottish Premiership appearances.

Despite this output, Dundee United have lost three of their five games so far this season and are currently fourth-bottom on the table, but he can look back fondly at his time with Auckland FC and going out on a high as a grand final winner.

Lachlan Bayliss

From the Newcastle Jets to Auckland FC

Fee: Free

The 24-year-old described his move from New South Wales to Auckland as a dream after the World Cup, having made his All Whites debut earlier in the year in a 2-0 loss to Finland.

The Black Knights’ new No 10 made his first competitive start for the club in Saudi Arabia during their 1-0 loss to Al-Ahli in the Fifa Intercontinental Cup, with Bayliss likely to play a key role for Pedro Moreira’s team this season.

Tommy Smith

From Braintree to Bury Town

Fee: Free

Smith was a surprise selection in Darren Bazeley’s World Cup squad, with his contributions behind the scenes being considered a key factor in that decision.

The 36-year-old has spent much of his career in England with clubs like Ipswich Town, Brentford, Colchester United and Sunderland, but he also spent time in the A-League with Macarthur FC in 2024 and Auckland FC in the same year.

His new team currently play in England’s Southern League Premier Division Central and he recently scored a hat-trick for them in a 4-3 victory against Leiston.

Tyler Bindon

From Nottingham Forest to Charlton Athletic

Fee: Loan

Bindon makes the third loan move of his tenure with Nottingham Forest, back to the Championship with Charlton Athletic.

His career breakthrough came at Reading midway through his second season, causing him to be signed by Forest and loaned back to Reading, where he would end up claiming the Player of the Season award.

He was loaned out again last season to Sheffield United, who failed to secure Premier League promotion.

Click here to read article