IT’S been a long summer for Tom Lawrence as the former Rangers star hunted for a new club.
It was announced way back in May that the Wales playmaker was one of a number of Ibrox stars leaving the club on expiry of his contract.
Initially he found himself heavily linked with ambitious Championship outfit Wrexham,
But Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhinney’s Welsh plaything were just one of eight clubs at one stage attached to the star, with Burnley, Coventry City, West Brom, Middlesbrough, Blackburn Rovers plus Olympiacos, POAK and Besiktas all credited with an interest even if none ever confirmed a deal.
But the wait is finally OVER – after some five months of unemployment during which at one stage he was spotted training alone in Dubai.
That’s because it’s finally been announced that Lawrence’s career is set to continue – on the other side of the world.
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He’s just been announced as a player with Perth Glory out in the A-League in Australia.
He told the club’s official site: “I had a call with [Glory Football Director] Stan Lazaridis and the Manager [David Zdrilic] and just listened to their passion for the club and where they want to go.
“That’s really what settled it in the end.
“I also spoke with [Glory defender] Scott Wootton and he was very complimentary about the club and Perth as a city.
“He basically said just get here as soon as you can, you’ll love it.
“I’ve been training every day with a guy back home in the UK and I feel like I’m in good shape.
“My body feels good, so I don’t think it’ll take long at all and I’ll be raring to go.
“I’ve come here to score as many goals and contribute as many assists to help the team as I can.
“I want the team to finish as high as possible and go for whatever we can this season.”
Glory Football Director Stan Lazaridis said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have Tom on board,” he said.
“He has been a proven performer at an extremely high level in the UK for more than a decade and is exactly the kind of experienced and versatile forward we need in our squad.
“Tom offers us so much flexibility as he can play out wide, down the middle, or in behind as an attacking midfielder.
“He can score and provide pinpoint delivery with both feet and has also banged in a number of stunning free-kicks over the years.
“We need to take some of the goalscoring burden off Adam Taggart’s shoulders and Tom will do that, as well as helping with the development of our younger attacking players.
“He had been linked to a number of UK and A-League clubs, but after chatting to his former Manchester United teammate Scott Wootton, he wanted to a part of what we’re building here at Glory.
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“I’m extremely excited to see Tom in action.”
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