Ex-Hatter Lockyer heads to A-League side Melbourne Victory

Former Luton defender Tom Lockyer has agreed a deal to sign for Australian A-League side Melbourne Victory.

The 31-year-old had moved to Kenilworth Road back in September 2020 on a free transfer having left Charlton Athletic, going on to make 117 appearances for the Hatters, scoring seven goals, as they reached the Premier League in 2023, also playing 14 times in the top flight. However, after being stretchered off in the play-off final win over Coventry City due to an atrial fibrillation, Lockyer then suffered a cardiac arrest during the match at AFC Bournemouth in December 2023, which saw him fitted with an Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD).

After making a full recovery to get close to playing again, an ankle injury wrecked any hopes of featuring for the Hatters once more, as Lockyer was released in October of last year, moving to Bristol Rovers, a club he started his career at over a decade beforehand. Having played 19 times for the Gas, he wasn’t offered a new contract in the summer and is now heading to Australia to join a side who, with ex-Manchester United and Chelsea winger Juan Mata in their ranks, finished fourth in the division last term.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Lockyer, who has won 16 caps for Wales, his last coming back in 2023, said of the move: “I am thrilled to have joined Melbourne Victory and cannot wait to get this next chapter of my career underway in such an amazing city. This opportunity excites me a lot, as I look to experience new things and challenge myself in a fresh environment. Now it is time to get to work and be ready for every battle ahead.”

Having been part of his country’s squad at the Euro 2020 Championships and 2022 World Cup, then Melbourne Victory Director of Football John Didulica was delighted to have added a leader with such experience to the squad, adding: “We are especially pleased to have brought a player of Tom’s calibre, courage and leadership qualities to the A-League and to Melbourne Victory.

“He brings the experience of captaining a team in the Premier League and playing more than a century of matches in one of the world’s most demanding leagues, the Championship, as well as representing his country at the highest of levels. We are excited by the hunger that Tom has for a new challenge, and it is fantastic that he can bring this energy to Victory.”