Despite insisting no player negotiations would take place until a head coach is appointed, the Wellington Phoenix appear to have re-signed defender Ryan Lowry for two years.
Lowry appeared eight times for the Phoenix this season and was coming off contract, but last night revealed on his Instagram that he was "delighted to have signed on with the club for a further two years".
The move has not yet been officially announced by the club, and the Phoenix have not responded to Newshub's requests for comment, but it goes against statements made by Phoenix general manager David Dome just 12 days ago.
Dome was asked if any off-contract players (including Lowry) had been offered new contracts.
"No, any head coach coming in has to be given maximum flexibility to build their own squad," Dome said on April 12.
"All of those players (off contract players) are contracted until 30 May, at that stage we'll hopefully have a coach in place who will be able to make those decisions, whether they re-sign the existing players or look to sign new players."
Lowry's re-signing is a sound move by the club, he's a solid back up defender who hasn't looked out of place in the A-League. But the signing is a confusing one given the clear message out of the club in recent weeks that the coaching appointment will come before any player decisions are made.
It's also likely to send a confusing message to any potential coaches interested in the Phoenix job, who might now be wondering just how much flexibility they will actually have.
