Phoenix’s rising star is a wanted man
Ben Waine’s early season form for Wellington Phoenix has not gone unnoticed with the club confirming the young All Whites striker has been attracting overseas interest.
The 21-year-old has found the back of the net three times in two games during the Phoenix’s Australia Cup campaign, backing up his brace against Devonport City Strikers with a match-winning header against Melbourne City in the round of 16.
The Phoenix were scheduled to meet Macarthur in Campbelltown in the quarterfinals last night.
Waine, who has an English passport, had previously knocked back an offer from English Championship club Coventry City to sign a new three-year deal with the Phoenix at the end of the 2020-21 season.
Coach Ufuk Talay confirmed an undisclosed club, also understood to be from England, had tabled an offer for Waine in recent days but suggested they had not met the Phoenix’s asking price.
‘‘There’s been a bit of interest in Waineo, which is a good sign for him and it’s a good sign for the club that we’re doing the right things and producing players through the academy,’’ Talay said. The renewed interest in Waine’s services has coincided with the Phoenix signing Polish target man Oskar Zawada on a two-year deal, though Talay stressed Zawada’s arrival was about creating depth in his front line.
‘‘Having that depth creates its own competition within the team, where I don’t have to drive everything all the time,’’ he said. ‘‘The competition comes from training and players wanting to play so for me it’s a positive thing and it’s a positive thing for the players.
‘‘And I’ve always been fair with my players. Players that have done well have continued to play and at the moment Kosta [Barbarouses] and Waineo are the ones that are playing at this stage, and it’s up to the other guys who have come in to take their spot.’’
Waine has scored 14 goals in 67 games for the Phoenix across all competitions after making his club debut in an Australia Cup match against NPL club Bentleigh Greens when he was only 17.
He has been capped five times by New Zealand and scored on his international debut against Papua New Guinea during Oceania World Cup qualifying in March.