Western Sydney Wanderers FC have today confirmed the signing of left-back Alex Gersbach from Swedish side Kalmar FF on a two and a half year deal.
Born in Auburn, Gersbach returns to the A-Leagues for the first time since 2016 where he made his professional debut in the competition for the club’s cross-town rivals.
After two seasons in domestic league, Gersbach emerged as one of its brightest stars, earning a move to Norwegian side Rosenborg BK. During his time at Rosenborg, Gersbach featured in over 60 matches for the club and was loaned out to French Ligue 2 side Lens where he played 14 matches.
Building on his European journey after his tenure at Rosenborg, Gersbach signed with Dutch Eredivisie club NAC Breda and followed with moves to Danish Superliga side AGF and French Ligue 2 club Grenoble. Across his seven seasons at the clubs, the left-back amassed over 140 appearances.
In 2023, Gersbach joined Major League Soccer team Colorado Rapids where he made a handful of appearances before returning back to Europe last year with Sweden’s Kalmar FF where he featured in 20 matches.
Across his 9 seasons in Europe, the left-back won a number of silverware and was crowned Norway’s Eliteserien winner three times, as well as the NM Cupen twice and Super Cup winner once.
Western Sydney Wanderers head coach Alen Stajcic welcomed Alex to the club.
“It’s great to bring Alex back to the A-Leagues to bring an injection of quality and overseas experience to our club,” said Stajcic.
“He has had an excellent career overseas and now is a great opportunity for him to re-establish himself back in our Domestic League and contribute to the Wanderers once again becoming a leading club in the country.”
Alex Gersbach said he was excited to return back to where it all started.
“Coming back to Sydney right now seems like the best possible scenario for my girlfriend and I. I feel like the timing is right to come back to Australia and the A-Leagues after being away for so long,” said Gersbach.
“Western Sydney is the perfect fit with a coach who knows me, some former teammates, great facilities and a strong fan base.
“I know a lot about the region having grown up in Sydney. I’ve got a lot of family that live in Western Sydney. My father was raised in the Blacktown area and my siblings and I were born in Auburn. I spent a lot of my youth playing football in the region, especially at Valentine Sports Park.
“On a personal level, I’m hoping to find a longer term home where I can play at my peak for a prolonged period of time. I think stability on and off the field is a goal of mine.“On a team level, I want to contribute to what has been building at the club. The Wanderers belong at the top of the A-Leagues table. It’s still early in the season so there’s no reason why the team can’t be successful this season.”
