wellington sign eze Phoenix land striker Eze to replace Barbarouses 10:50 am on 15 July 2025 please log in to view this image RNZ Sport @RNZSport please log in to view this image Photo: PHOTOSPORT The Wellington Phoenix have replaced accomplished striker Kosta Barbarouses with a Nigerian marksman for the next A-league season. Ifeanyi Eze, 26, will lead the attack, coming off a productive season in the Iraq Stars League, where scored 15 goals for 14th-placed Al-Karkh SC. Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano hailed Eze's signing. "He has all of the attributes I was looking for in an attacker," Italiano said. "He can score goals, he's very fast, he can dribble at pace and his intention is to always go forward. "And the most important thing for me is he's a really, really good person." The left-footed Eze will join the Phoenix once he obtains his New Zealand work visa and he can't wait to meet his new teammates. He will wear the same number seven jersey previous adorned by Barbarouses, who finished his third Phoenix stint at the end of last season and has signed with rivals Western Sydney. Barbarouses scored 23 goals in his last two seasons to lift him to 98 in the A-League, the fourth-most by any player. The Wellington Phoenix now have 19 players contracted for the 2025-26 men's season and have filled four of the five visa spots.
