Another Socceroo heads to the 2.Bundesliga

2. Bundesliga side FC St. Pauli have announced that the club have come to an agreement to sign Melbourne City's Connor Metcalfe.

FC St. Pauli have announced the signing of Socceroos Connor Metcalfe. The Melbourne City player will join German 2.Bundesliga side at the end of the 2021-22 A-League season.

Connor Metcalfe signing

Melbourne City's Connor Metcalfe has agreed to sign with FC St. Pauli.
The Socceroo will join the German club at the conclusion of this A-League season.
The 2.Bundesliga side is currently first in the ladder.

More news on Aussies Abroad can be found on FTBL.

The A-League has another youngster leaving Australian shores for Europe. This time it is Melbourne City's Connor Metcalfe. The 22-year old midfielder will be heading to Germany this winter, joining 2. Bundesliga side FC St. Pauli.

Metcalfe has two senior caps for the Socceroos, having received his first last June. He also played for the Olyroos the following month, representing Australia at the Tokyo Olympics, following several years of call-ups for a number of junior national team sides.

This will be the first club venture abroad for Metcalfe, the Australian having played the totality of his professional football in the A-League. Since his debut in 2017 he has made 56 senior appearances, scoring eight goals and providing six assists.

In total the midfielder has spent seven years at Melbourne City, having originally joined the Victorian side as an academy youngster. The club's Director of Football Michael Petrillo heralded his player's evolution when the departure was announced:

“Connor is a fantastic player on the pitch and is an influential person in the dressing room," said Petrillo.

"He is an inspiration to our younger players who are coming through the Academy and fighting for a place in the first team.

“He has already achieved a lot in his career at City and is still only 22 years old.

"We completely understand his desire to test himself in the biggest leagues in Europe and he is moving to an equally ambitious club in FC St. Pauli."

🤝 Joined City Academy at 15
💪 A-League debut at 18
🌟 2019/20 Rising Star
🇦🇺 Socceroo #611
🏆 Premier and Champion
🏅 2020/21 Harry Kewell Medallist
📋 2020/21 PFA Team of the Year

What a ride itâ€™s been for Connor Metcalfe! pic.twitter.com/D3nv1LMz1L
— Melbourne City FC (@MelbourneCity) February 17, 2022

The German club made the announcement on Thursday, stating that Metcalfe first signing for the 2022-23 season. He will conclude his current A-League season and then head abroad.

Upon his arrival in Hamburg, Metcalfe will not be the only Australian at FC St. Pauli. Fellow Socceroo Jackson Irvine is already there having joined the club ahead of this 2021-22 season. FC St. Pauli head coach Timo Schultz hopes this will help his newest signing upon his arrival:

"Connor Metcalfe can occupy various positions in central midfield and will give us more options and flexibility from next season," said Schultz.

"He's still young and we'll have to allow him a little time to acclimatise after his move.

"The fact that he'll be hooking up with a teammate from the national team in Jackson Irvine is sure to help him settle in."

Which league the club will be playing in next season may be change. FC St. Pauli are currently first in the 2. Bundesliga, with four points separating first and sixth place.

There are still 14 rounds remaining and the race for the promotion. The top two positions of this second tier get promoted, while the third placed team heads to a promotion play-off with the 16th placed team in the Bundesliga.

Given their current position, a promotion to the Bundesliga is entirely possible for the Hamburgian club should they continue on their current track of success.

At present Eintracht Frankfurt's Ajdin Hrustic is the only Australian playing in the Bundesliga. Dynamo Dresden's Brandon Borello and Stuttgart Alou Kuol are also signed to 2. Bundesliga clubs, with Kuol currently loaned to SV Sandhausen.