Western Sydney Wanderers’ rebuild has continued, with local Lawrence Thomas returning to the Isuzu UTE A-League from Europe on a three-year contract.
After two seasons with SonderjyskE in Denmark, Western Sydney product and former Melbourne Victory goalkeeper Thomas has linked up with Wanderers head coach Mark Rudan.
A one-time Australia international, Thomas won two A-League Men Championships and the FFA Cup with Victory before leaving in 2020.
“Being a Toongabbie boy, the area has a very special place in my heart,” said Thomas, who played his junior football in Sydney’s west.
“To be returning home to play fills me with great excitement and pride.
“For me, Western Sydney has an abundance of talented footballers and I believe the club has the responsibility to excite, motivate and inspire.
“The only way to do that is to give the area the best team in the country to watch every week.”
Rudan is wasting no time rebuilding his squad after the Wanderers missed the finals for a fifth consecutive season.
The Wanderers have already farewelled Bernie Ibini, Dimi Petratos, Tomer Hemed, Ziggy Gordon, Keijiro Ogawa and goalkeeper Thomas Mejias.
“Lawrence is a very experienced goalkeeper and comes back to the domestic league after honing his craft overseas for the last two years,” said Rudan.
“Having started his football career in Western Sydney, it is a very exciting moment for him to come back to where it all started.
“We know Lawrence’s never say die attitude and his winning mentality is something that we are trying to build upon.”
