St Patrick’s Athletic have signed New Zealand international Max Mata as a direct replacement for Mason Melia.
St Pat’s sold Melia to Tottenham Hotspur for an initial fee of €1.9 million on a five-year contract from January 2026, in a deal that has the potential to rise to €4 million.
The teenager scored 15 goals and contributed five assists in 44 appearances for Stephen Kenny’s side last season.
Mata, who scored 15 goals for Sligo Rovers across 37 League of Ireland appearances in 2023 and 2024, will be expected to deliver a similar return at Richmond Park.
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He arrives as a free agent having most recently been at Auckland FC in the Australian A League.
“At 25, we are getting Max at a good time in his career,” said Kenny. “He is a traditional number nine, who has a high work ethic and will lead the line and bring a physical presence to the team.
“Max is a different profile to what we’ve had in that position - he’s strong, links the play really well, attacks crosses and scores headed goals.”
Other moves of note in the off season have former Bohemians captain Keith Buckley signing for newly-promoted Dundalk, while Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley patched up his differences with veteran midfielder Jack Byrne, who returns from a loan period with Dubai Irish FC. Rovers also picked up Republic of Ireland left-back Enda Stevens as a free agent.
