A trio of the brightest young talents in Australia have joined Melbourne City FC ahead of the 2023/24 season, joining the Club on multi-year deals.
Goalkeeper Patrick Beach and central midfielder Zane Schreiber have signed three-year deals tying them to City until the end of the 2025/26 season, while attacking midfielder Alessandro Lopane has signed a two-year deal with an option to extend for a further year.
Regarded as one of the best young shot-stoppers in the country, Beach has been in top form in goal for the Central Coast Mariners NPL NSW team this season.
While yet to make his senior debut, the 20-year-old is expected to provide plenty of competition for the number 1 spot.
Schreiber will be welcomed to Melbourne by some familiar faces, having recently been part of the Australia U18 national team, where he was joined by Emin Durakovic, Max Caputo and Academy young guns Sebastian Esposito and Harry Shillington.
The 18-year-old performed strongly in that tournament, starting against both Norway and Portugal, finding the back of the net against the latter.
Also making the move to City is highly rated attacking midfielder Alessandro Lopane, who joins the Club from Western Sydney Wanderers.
Lopane, who has represented Australia at U23 level, already has 19 A-League Men’s appearances to his name and with a big pre-season to come, will be eyeing plenty of minutes in his first season at City.
Melbourne City FC Director of Football, Michael Petrillo, said:
“We are always searching for the best young talent in Australia, whether that be from our Academy or interstate.
“Alessandro is a player we have targeted for a while now, so we are very happy he’s decided to join us. He has great technical ability, sees the next pass very well and has an attacking mindset that suits the City style of play. He will have every opportunity to press his claims with a good preseason leading into the AFC Champions League Group Stage fixtures.
“We consider Patrick to be one of the best young keepers in the country. He is a courageous keeper who is good with his feet, has great anticipation and is a strong shot-stopper.
“Zane is a typical #6 in our system. His attitude, ability to get around the pitch and passing range stood out and we see enormous potential for him to grow as a key midfielder of the future.”
