Auckland FC head coach Steve Corica is “pretty sure” Alex Paulsen will not be in the Isuzu UTE A-League season as the star goalkeeper looks to move to the “next level” abroad.
Paulsen, on loan from Premier League side Bournemouth, produced a moment of individual brilliance to help league-leading Auckland take down Melbourne Victory 2-0 at AAMI Park on Saturday night.
Paulsen has established himself as one of, if not, the best goalkeeper in the Isuzu UTE A-Leagues, having earned Goalkeeper of the Year honours with Wellington Phoenix in 2023-24 before Bournemouth pounced to sign the 22-year-old.
There has been talk of a move to Scottish Premiership outfit Hibernian, who are also part of the Black Knight Group, along with Bournemouth and Auckland.
Asked about Paulsen’s future post-game and whether he is ready to cement himself as a number one abroad, Corica told reporters: “I don’t think we will (keep him).
“He is on the books of Bournemouth. I’m not sure where he’s going to go next season but I’m pretty sure it won’t be with us unfortunately. That’s the way it goes.
“He’s had a great year last year. Just fell short towards the end but hopefully we can get him over the line this season and not only win the Premiership but win the Grand Final if we can.”
Paulsen has kept 11 clean sheets this season and Corica added: “He is a confident player. He is a very good shot-stopper as you can see.
“There’s areas of his game he can improve on and obviously he knows that.
“But he is a fantastic goalkeeper and he has a lot of strengths. He just needs to keep improving and he’s doing that.
