How ex-Derby County and Rangers star Tom Lawrence is getting on in Australia | OneFootball

The Welsh international recently moved 'down under' in a surprise transfer

It was a surprise to many British football supporters in general in mid-October when it was confirmed that former Derby County and Rangers FC ace, Tom Lawrence, had completed his latest move since departing the aforementioned Scottish giants in the summer on a free transfer.

Despite being the subject of reported interest from a handful of clubs now residing within the Premier League, Championship and League One over the course of pre-season and the summer transfer window, the Welsh international opted to move 'down under' and secure a contract with Australian A-League side, Perth Glory.

There have been a handful of notable players connected with EFL-based sides who have lived a completely different life in Oceania in recent seasons, such as Adam Le Fondre, once of Rotherham United, Reading and Bolton Wanderers, who scored 73 times in 128 appearances for Sydney FC between 2018 and 2023 before returning to Britain.

Another man, who ironically shared the Pride Park pitch with Lawrence, Jacob Butterfield, also enjoyed a solitary season of A-League football with Melbourne Victory in 2020/21 in between spells with Luton Town and St Johnstone, before dropping into the non-league circuit with Scunthorpe United and Gateshead.

A switch to a country where football takes a backseat in terms of coverage in comparison to Rugby League and Australian Rules Football doesn't mean, by any stretch, that Lawrence's career is on the slide. Indeed, those at HBF Park will be able to see exactly why the Wrexham-born man was once on the books of Manchester United, Leicester City and the aforementioned Light Blues over the course of time.

With that being said, Football League World has looked at how Lawrence has adjusted to life in Australia, a couple of weeks after the penning of a one-year contract.

Tom Lawrence is yet to feature competitively for Perth Glory after surprise transfer

The 31-year-old's transfer was confirmed by the club on October 10th, some eight days before Perth kickstarted their current top-flight campaign with a home clash against Wellington Phoenix.

Lawrence cited phone calls with his former Old Trafford colleague, Scott Wooton, as a key factor behind the move, as well as conversations with manager, David Zdrilic and former Birmingham City favourite, Stan Lazaridis, who now operates as the club's Director of Football.

“I’ve come here to score as many goals and contribute as many assists to help the team as I can," the 23-time international told club media.

“I want the team to finish as high as possible and go for whatever we can this season.”

Despite the fanfare which surrounded his first career move outside of Britain, Lawrence may be slightly underwhelmed by how the first two weeks of his stint have panned out, albeit it could also be a case of a lack of pre-season, during which he was seen undergoing individual sessions with a personal trainer.

Glory have taken one point from their opening two encounters against Wellington and Melbourne Victory, having been on the receiving end of a 4-0 defeat on the road against the 'City Blues' on October 25th.

Perth face off against the other side of Melbourne on Friday, and Lawrence will hope to gain his first minutes for the club on home turf, as they go in search of a first win of the season.

Tom Lawrence developments will certainly intrigue Derby County and Rangers FC supporters

Despite the fact the A-League is hardly at the top of many agendas in England and Scotland when it comes to viewing, supporters at Pride Park and Ibrox will no doubt be intrigued by how Lawrence performs in the new environment.

The playmaker accumulated a total of 37 goals and 25 assists in 185 appearances during a chaotic period at Pride Park, which included a failed play-off campaign in 2018/19, where the Rams suffered defeat to Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium, before he eventually departed in the summer of 2022 after Derby were relegated to League One after entering administration and being docked 21 points.

His time at Ibrox was just as tumultuous, scoring 12 times and posting a further seven assists in just 69 appearances under Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Michael Beale and Phillipe Clement before departing in the summer, ahead of what has been a disastrous start to the SPFL season for the Gers, who are now under the management of Danny Rohl.