One of Australia's best young prospects, former Joeys' Joshua Rawlins, has confirmed his joining of Dutch club FC Utrecht.  The A-League defender has signed a long-term contract with the Eredivisie side.

Joshua Rawlins Signing

  • Perth youngster Joshua Rawlins will head to Europe next season, with Dutch club FC Utrecht signing him.
  • Rawlins has signed with the Eredivisie side until mid-2026.
  • The Glory defender played his last A-League match on Wednesday against Melbourne City.

More Australian football news can be found on FTBL.

Eredivisie side FC Utrecht have confirmed the signing of A-League defender Joshua Rawlins.  The 18-year old will depart Perth Glory to join the Dutch club on a free transfer.

Rawlins started his footballing career at the Western Australian Dianella Soccer Club, before moving to continue his youth training at Perth Glory.

The former Joeys player, who was part of the 2019 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Brazil, made his senior professional debut last season.  The young defender started in Perth's Asian Champions League match against Shanghai Shenhua in November 2020.

He has since made 37 senior appearances, including 22 A-League matches for Glory this season. Rawlins even captained Perth in February, wearing the armband for the club despite being only 17 years old.

Having played the entirety of his professional football in Australia, this European move will be his first venture abroad.  

When speaking about their recruitment of the young defender, FC Utrecht Technical Director Jordy Zuidam outlined the young Australian's current and future prospects:

"Joshua is a football right-back. He is good in the pass and dribbles and has a lot of drive forward," said Zuidam.

"Defensively, he often solves situations based on game insight and he is also quite intelligent in the way he plays his duels.

"Joshua also has good speed and, especially for someone his age, has a lot of flair and charisma."

When Rawlins' makes his FC Utrecht debut, he will be following in the footsteps of Tommy Oar, Adam Sarota, Michael Zullo and Daniel Arzani, and become the fifth Australian to play for the Dutch side.

Rawlins has signed a four year contract, keeping him in the Netherlands until mid-2026.

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