New Zealand international left back Dalton Wilkins has signed a three-year deal to join Danish first division leaders Sønderjyske Fodbold.
Wilkins (24) moves from Kolding IF who are midtable in the same competition, and has agreed a contract that keeps him at his new club till the summer of 2027.
Main photo: Dalton Wilkins in his new club’s kit. Photo credit: Sønderjyske Fodbold.
The three-cap All White joined Danish club FC Helsingør as a 19-year-old, before joining Kolding IF in January 2022 after an initial loan.
He played his youth and early senior football with Wellington’s Western Suburbs, Auckland City and Eastern Suburbs.
Wilkins’ new club are pressing for promotion from the second tier to Denmark’s Superliga, from which they were relegated in the 2021-22 season.
Sønderjyske Fodbold sports manager Casper Daather told the club’s website:
“We are very pleased to have signed a contract with Dalton Wilkins. This is a player who has proven himself in Danish football and who is now ready to take the next steps in his development.
“With the arrival of Wilkins, we strengthen our already strong defence, and we are better prepared when we are hit on the personnel, as we saw it at the end of the autumn.
“In Dalton Wilkins, we get a dynamic and relatively young left back with lots of speed, and he also has a fantastic long throw, which we can also benefit from.
“He is an ambitious and ambitious player who, like Sønderjyske Fodbold, has an ambition to get into the Super League, and he wants to fight for his national team place.
“He is far from home, but after five years in Denmark we will quickly integrate him into the team and in Haderslev, and we are looking forward to him developing further in our strong environment.”
Wilkins said:
“I am very happy to have signed a contract with Sønderjyske Fodbold. It is a strong club with great ambitions, which is working on an exciting project, which I would very much like to be a part of.
“It’s a good club that plays great football, and they, like me, have ambitions to play in the top flight.
“I know the club from the NordicBet League, and of course I have also spoken to my former teammate Tobias Sommer, so I have done my homework in connection with the change.
“I’m looking forward to getting started and meeting my new teammates and the fans at Sydbank Park.”
Wilkins, who will wear the #13 shirt, joins his new squad at their mid-season training camp in Portugal on Saturday (January 13, 2024).
All Whites’ next fixtures
Wilkins’ next potential appearance for the All Whites is in late March when New Zealand take part in the four-nation W Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
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