Polish keeper boosts Phoenix defence
Wellington have bought a good, old-fashioned shot stopper in Polish goalkeeper Filip Kurto.
Forget the fancy footwork that the modern goalkeeper is expected to have, playing almost as a sweeper behind the back four. Coach Mark Rudan wanted a strong presence in the box, and Kurto is his man.
The 27-year-old arrives from Dutch Eredivisie side Roda JC, with a desire to test himself in a new league and a new country.
‘‘Filip is a strong shot stopper,’’ Rudan said. ‘‘[He’s] good in the air, communicates well, he has a presence in goal. A lot of attributes we were after in a goalkeeper, he ticks off.
‘‘He’s played over 100 games in the top division in Holland, so that tells you a bit about the quality of the goalkeeper as well.’’
The player himself said Rudan’s enthusiasm was a key factor in his arrival in New Zealand.
‘‘The manager has a real enthusiasm and passion to win and he stressed to me that he wants players who will give everything for the club.’’
Rudan made the process around recruiting a new goalkeeper quite clear.
While the Phoenix have Keegan Smith and Oliver Sail on their books, Rudan isn’t yet comfortable with them starting an A League fixture.
‘‘Quite clearly, when I had a look at the playing roster, I saw Keegan and Oli there and I made it quite clear: They’re good young goalkeepers, but they’re not up to A League standard in terms of what my expectations are,’’ Rudan said. ‘‘That’s where we started. If these are the two best keepers in New Zealand, let’s say, with Oli and Keegan, it just didn’t stand up, as far as I was concerned.’’
Rudan said the process of finding a new ‘keeper started about five weeks ago.
‘‘Filip came onto our radar about a month ago. We followed him along with many other goalkeepers, and through a long and exhausting process, we’re here today.’’
The Phoenix confirmed 27-year-old, 1.91m Kurto’s signing at Westpac Stadium yesterday, little over a week after the capture of former Newcastle United English Premier League defender Steven Taylor.
Kurto began his career at Wisla Krakow and represented his country at under-21 level, before signing for Dutch Eredivisie side Roda JC in 2012. He played 65 matches over two seasons for Roda before moving to FC Dordrecht.