Dean Bouzanis added to goalkeeping options in RG2

Reading Football Club are pleased to announce the arrival of 31-year-old Australian goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis who has signed a three-year contract with the Royals.

The 6’2” stopper becomes our second goalkeeping addition of the summer, following the arrival of Joe Lumley on loan from Middlesbrough earlier this month. The Sydney-born stopper will provide further competition for the first team gloves in 2022-23.

Head of Football Operations, Mark Bowen, said: “I’m delighted we have been able to acquire the services of a goalkeeper with Dean’s ability and add him to a group who will benefit from his additional experience between the posts. We now have great strength in depth in a position in the team which will be so important to get right this season. I’m pleased to welcome Dean to the club.”

Born in Sydney, Bouzanis arrived in English football at the age of 16 when he joined the youth ranks at Liverpool in 2007. During four years at Anfield, he featured for the Under-18s and reserve side on Merseyside whilst also enjoying a loan spell back in his home city with Sydney FC.

His professional debut came during a loan stint with Accrington, keeping a clean sheet in his first start for League Two’s Stanley in a 2-0 win at Burton Albion in December 2009. And he left Liverpool to join Oldham in 2011, going on to make 50 starts as a Latic.

After short spells with Greek side Aris FC, at Carlisle United and then as a Western Sydney Wanderer, Bouzanis established himself as a first choice keeper at Melbourne City – making his A-League debut for the club when coming off the bench to stand in for the red-carded former Sunderland, Aston Villa and Stoke City stopper Thomas Sørensen in 2017.

He was also the man between the posts and keeping a clean sheet when Melbourne won their first-ever silverware - an FFA Cup Final win over Sydney FC courtesy of a winner from Tim Cahill.

A spell in Holland working under former Royals boss Jaap Stam at PEC Zwolle led to a return to UK shores with his partner, Arsenal Women left-back Steph Catley, in 2020 when he signed for Sutton United.

18 clean sheets later and Dean was celebrating a title win and promotion to the EFL for the first time in the club’s 123-year-history.

A former Greece and Australia youth international, Bouzanis made 53 appearances in Sutton’s first ever season in League Two – helping the newcomers achieve an eight-place finish and fall just short of a play-off berth last season.

Now he is a Royal. Welcome to Reading, Dean.

Manager Paul Ince, said “Dean is a goalkeeper who I know will put his body on the line and throw everything into keeping the ball out of the net for this football club. He becomes part of what is now a solid-looking goalkeeping department, led by the hugely experienced Tony Warner, and I am confident he will be a real asset to the club this season and beyond.”