Released by the Newcastle Jets over the weekend for a undisclosed fee, the 25-year-old striker is hoping exposure in the Scottish Premiership will enhance his prospects of adding to the maiden Australian cap he picked up against Palestine in Perth.

It’s a formula which has worked for the likes of Kye Rowles, Cam Devlin and Nathaniel Atkinson (Hearts), Lewis Miller (Hibernian) and Ryan Strain (Dundee United via St Mirren) and Keanu Baccus (Mansfield via St Mirren).

And Stamatelopoulos, who had overseas overseas stints in Greece with AE Rodos and PAS Giannina before rejoining the Jets in 2023, is hoping to duplicate the aforementioned's feats at a club that finished eighth of the ladder last season.

Newcastle CEO Shane Mattiske explained the rationale behind the move, telling Jets fans: “Apostolos heads to Europe with our best wishes.

"We understand that in order for Apostolos to push for selection in the Socceroos squad for the 2026 World Cup, he needs to be playing consistently in the coming months and that aligns with the European schedule.

“We’re really proud of his development at the Jets over the past season and would love to see him and his family return to Newcastle in the future.”

Stamatelopoulos completed an impressive 2023-2024 season by earning selection in the A-League All Stars match against English Premier League side Newcastle United, scoring twice in an 8-0 win.

Following closely on the heels was a Socceroos call up for the World qualifiers against Bangladesh and Palestine, with Stamatelopoulos coming on as a substitute in the 65th minute against the latter.