Haji Wright delivered an impressive loan spell with Turkish side Antalyaspor last season and after excelling for the club on loan, the American striker has officially transferred there.
Antalyaspor acquired Wright on a permanent transfer from Danish club Sonderjyske, the club announced. Wright signed a three-year contract with Antalyaspor, rejoining the club after a successful loan spell in Nuri Sahin’s squad last season.
The 24-year-old scored 14 goals and added two assists in 31 league appearances for Antalyaspor, helping the club finish seventh in league play. Wright’s strong second half of the season earned him a first-ever call up to the U.S. men’s national team in June.
Wright joined Sonderjyske in August 2020 and went on to score 13 goals in 37 combined appearances for the Danish club. Sonderjyske suffered relegation from the Danish Superliagen this past season, opening the door for Wright to seek a permanent exit from the club.
Wright debuted in a 3-0 friendly win over Morocco, scoring the third goal in that match. He also went on to appear in additional matches against Uruguay and El Salvador.
Antalyaspor’s league schedule begins on August 7 with a home date against Galatasaray.
I still haven’t written off Wright. Gregg’s harsh words aside, Haji looked very good to me against Morocco when he got in and was providing us with something he didn’t have. Yes, he was completely invisible against El Salvador but that really wasn’t an actual game of soccer either and some guys mud better than others. (Yunus Musah, seemingly, could probably play a game of soccer on the bottom of the Marianas Trench, he’s just that good an athlete.)
Staying stable in a situation with a coach who knows how to use him properly is probably key for him right now. It might take a minute, but the dude really is an astounding athlete and as his understanding and confidence rises I still think he’s capable of that next big step if he continues to have success after several years of frustration.
Sorry, meant something “we” didn’t have before.
Q, you’re right on. ggg must have been in something to pull a guy at halftime and speak critically and publicly about his performance in what was hardly an appropriate environment to judge a players game. I’m hopeful that this season will be a breakout for him. He has something that we need.
We just didn’t have a fair assessment on Haji. GgG gave a lot of guys a lot more time when it was obvious they weren’t international level
I think that would be a great fit for him. Understands the system, understands how the coach wants him to play. Allows finally some stability at club level.