Wellington Phoenix women’s head coach Paul Temple says the club might need to sign two more players before the Boxing Day transfer deadline.
Losing internationals Grace Wisnewski and Marisa van der Meer to season-ending knee injuries has put the high-flying Phoenix under pressure.
READ MORE: Knee injury ends season for Ferns and Phoenix defender Marisa van der Meer >>>>
After his side’s 2-2 draw with Melbourne Victory, Temple said he was happy with his current squad in terms of quality but after only seven rounds of Liberty A-League “we’ve already been really stretched.”
New signing Isabel Cox was due to arrive in New Zealand ahead of the Round 8 game against Adelaide United but the forward would need to undergo medical checks and an assessment of her readiness for competition.
READ MORE: Injury-hit Phoenix sign American import to bolster women’s A-League squad >>>>
The Phoenix have used all five spots allowed for import players so any new signings will be restricted to players from New Zealand or Australia.
“We don’t want to get past the deadline day and then feel like ‘oh, we need another player or we need another two players’, so we just have to think about the long term as well for the season and I think bringing in a few extra bodies is going to really help us with that,” Temple said.
READ MORE: Phoenix continue to ride high in women’s A-League after 2-2 draw with Victory >>>>
Watch Paul Temple’s briefing
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