Melbourne City’s impressive offseason has continued with the club announcing the signing of former Danish international goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen earlier today.
The 39-year-old custodian is the club’s ninth signing in total of the winter break, joining the Melburnians on a two-year deal.
The move adds a wealth of experience to an already seasoned defence, with Sorensen likely to join defenders Aaron Hughes and Patrick Kisnorbo in forming a solid unit with vast experience in English football.
Sorensen comes to Melbourne having plied his trade in England’s top flight since 1998, making over 350 appearances in the Premier League along the way.
Having moved to Sunderland from hometown club Odense BK in 1998, Sorensen proved vital in helping the club achieve promotion back to the Premier League.
After 171 appearances with the Black Cats, he then signed with fellow Premier League club Aston Villa, immediately establishing himself as the club’s first choice goalkeeper.
As Stoke City gained top-flight status in 2008, the Potters sought out Sorensen to help establish themselves as a regular fixture in the Premier League, a job the Dane has accomplished convincingly.
In more recent times, Sorensen found himself behind Bosnian goalkeeper Asmir Begovic in the pecking order, who has since made a big money move to Chelsea.
With Stoke failing to renew his contract at the end of the 2014-15 season as Jack Butland became the long-term replacement for Begovic, Melbourne City has jumped at the opportunity to add one of the Premier League’s longest serving goalkeepers to their roster.
Whilst some may argue against using a marquee visa spot on their roster to sign a 39-year-old goalkeeper, Sorensen will add a sense of assuredness and confidence that City has long been lacking.
When looking at the most successful sides in the A-League’s recent history, all have had reliable goalkeepers that have been commanding figures on the field.
Adelaide United have Eugene Galekovic, Brisbane Roar have had Michael Theo and Melbourne Victory have had Nathan Coe, all of whom have heavily contributed to the silverware sitting in their respective halls.
Sorensen has proven himself to be a world-class goalkeeper throughout his career, making 101 appearances for his native Denmark, including playing in two FIFA World Cups and two UEFA European Championships.
His experiences playing at the highest level for both club and country will significantly benefit City, desperate to finally appear out from under big brother Melbourne Victory’s shadow.
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There will no doubt be questions about whether at 39 years of age, the Dane will be able to continually produce throughout an entire season, and whether he is still able to compete at a professional level.
While it is difficult to say whether Sorensen can still keep out the likes of Besart Berisha at his advanced age, there is little doubt that his professionalism and experience at the highest level will vastly improve Melbourne City’s entire squad.
Although it is not conventional for an A-League club to use one of their few international visa roster spots for a goalkeeper, with only two clubs doing so in the past, signing Sorensen looks to be another impressive piece of business for an extremely ambitious club.
With a core now consisting of Sorensen, Hughes, Kisnorbo, Ivan Franjic, Aaron Mooy, Michael Zullo, Harry Novillo and Bruno Fornaroli, Melbourne City looks to be a big threat to both competitions this coming season.
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