Central Coast Mariners coach Nick Montgomery has disclosed how he convinced Ghanaian forward Paul Ayongo to turn down several clubs to join the club.
The 25-year-old joins the Australian outfit on a two-year deal after successful negotiations and passing his medical.
Ayongo made 67 appearances over two seasons and was involved in 21 goals, scoring 18 of them and assisting three during his stay at Académico de Viseu.
"Paul has been on our scouting list since I was promoted to the A-League last season. We know the player well and after his name came across our scouting network multiple times, Sergio and I arranged a zoom call to convince him that the Mariners would be a good move for him and his career," Montgomery told the club's official website.
"Paul is a very popular player at his previous clubs, due largely to his outstanding work rate and his honesty on and off the pitch. One thing we know about Paul is that he won’t back down and with his arrival, it will create more competition for places within our forward line, which pushes everyone to be better and is the only way to be successful."
He added: "We successfully fought off interest from other clubs in Europe and Asia for Paul and I’m delighted that we can secure his signature for the next two years."