Back where it started: Sarpreet Singh returns to lift the Wellington Phoenix

Tuesday, 10 February 2026

The former Wellington Phoenix star is returning to the club that launched his career.

Sarpreet Singh only considered joining one club when he made the decision to return to the A-League after almost seven years in Europe.

Although he is from Auckland, the All Whites star said the familiarity of the Wellington Phoenix was a key factor behind his move.

Singh has come home to play on loan ahead of the FIFA World Cup after his game time at Serbian club TSC Bačka Topola dried up following a managerial change in November.

“I thought Wellington straight away because I know the club, I’ve been here before and my biggest thing was going into an environment where I feel loved, and you saw that with the supporters [last Friday],” Singh said.

It has been almost seven years since Singh left the A-League for Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich but the 26-year-old is determined to make up for lost time by leading the Phoenix towards the playoffs.

He was close to signing with the Phoenix on a permanent deal at the start of the season but ultimately decided to stick it out in Europe after receiving an offer from his former coach Darije Kalezic in Serbia.

He played 15 games for TSC but has not started since Kalezic was sacked in November.

Singh stressed the importance of playing regular football with the World Cup now only four months away.

“I was thinking about what to do next and I felt like I needed to go into an environment I already knew so I could just play my game,” Singh added.

“Recently, I haven’t been able to play as freely as I want to and the platform here, along with the team that has been put together, I think we can do something really special and I want to be a part of that.”

Sarpreet Singh greets supporters ahead of the Phoenix’s match against the Victory last week.

Singh was the Phoenix’s third signing during a busy mid-season transfer window, joining All Whites team-mate Bill Tuiloma and Norwegian Sander Kartum.

He is expected to play his first game for the Phoenix since May 2019 against bottom-place Western Sydney Wanderers on Friday night after coach Giancarlo Italiano said he would waste no time integrating his latest signing into the squad with only 10 rounds to go.

A win would lift the 11th-place Phoenix to within one point of the top six but a defeat could see them plummet to the bottom of the table.

Despite their recent form, Singh said he was optimistic about the Phoenix’s prospects and is eager to extend his stay by helping the club that launched his professional career achieve their primary goal of playing finals football.

He is still contracted to his club in Serbia for another season after this one.

“They’ve been very competitive, maybe early on there wasn’t as much experience in the team, but you can see the performances are there, it’s just lapses of concentrating or not managing the game at certain times that has killed us previously,” Singh said.

“We can do something really special. The players who have come in now can lift it and push towards the finals. Sometimes it’s also about momentum and if you win one game or two games then all of a sudden the feeling is different and with more experienced players you can help drive that.”