The Western Sydney Wanderers have signed vastly experienced Switzerland midfielder Pirmin Schwegler for the next A-League season.
The 32-year old has accumulated well over 300 games in Germany and Switzerland.
He played 14 times for the Swiss national side between 2009 and 2014 and was also in their 2010 World Cup squad, but didn’t make an appearance in the tournament.
He joins from Hannover 96, who have been relegated from the Bundesliga, the top division of German football.
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Schwegler will arrive in time to play for the Wanderers against Leeds United on July 20 — Western Sydney’s first game at their new Bankwest Stadium home.
He is the Wanderers’ second signing this month following the acquisition of defender Daniel Georgievski from A-League rivals Newcastle.
The Wanderers have released 14 players this year, including 12 in the last month, after finishing eighth on the ladder and missing out on the finals for a second straight year.
The club’s German coach Markus Babbel, who is currently back in his homeland, had identified Schwegler as a potential recruit.
Schwegler was diagnosed with leukaemia before he turned two, but has been a professional footballer since 2003.
He started at FC Luzern, where Babbel coached a decade later, and also played for fellow Swiss club Young Boys, before switching to Germany and joining Bayer Leverkusen.
Schwegler then moved to Eintracht Frankfurt, where he was captain, and played in Germany thereafter for TSG Hoffenheim and Hannover 96.
“I am very excited to join the Western Sydney Wanderers and I’m counting down the days until I arrive,” Schwegler said.