The Wellington Phoenix Gazette
Market31 Aug 2026
Wellington Phoenix make Keyrol Figueroa the dearest name in their history
$3.1M. Fees like that buy a footballer and rent a debate: every touch will be measured against the number for a season at least.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Hideki Ishige damages knee ligaments — 98 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 98 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Market31 Aug 2026
Wellington Phoenix say no — this time
The offer from Persis for Luke Supyk was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Carlo Armiento out for 20 days
The medical room confirms 20 days on the sidelines for Carlo Armiento, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Rafael Durán in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Wellington Phoenix this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The terraces31 Aug 2026
$3.1M for Keyrol Figueroa, and Wellington Phoenix supporters approve
Boards get told what they have done wrong for years and hear nothing on the days they get it right. This is one of those days: Keyrol Figueroa from Liverpool for $3.1M, and a ticket office having a very good morning.
Transfer targets31 Aug 2026
Door shut on Mason Melia
Wellington Phoenix asked and Tottenham said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Market31 Aug 2026
Tze Xuan Loke attracts admirers
The name of Tze Xuan Loke has come up in conversations Wellington Phoenix were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Transfer targets31 Aug 2026
A loan move for Alex Borto is in the works
Wellington Phoenix have made the call to Fulham. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
In brief
- Squad Dale Edwards signs a new deal
- Market Adam Dixon told to find a new club
- The dugout The manager makes an example of Dale Edwards