Melbourne Victory is pleased to announce that William Kengni and Malik Olukhale have signed their first professional contracts.
Both will be a part of the A-League Men’s squad under newly appointed Head Coach, Giovanni Savarese, whilst continuing their VPL playing commitments.
Each player’s signing marks the completion of a chapter that has seen them work through the Club’s entire Academy program.
Kengni joined Victory at the age of 13 after being scouted through the Club’s Pre-Academy program and junior club Whittlesea Ranges, going on to be a part of many championship teams throughout the junior age groups. A highly rated left-back at U17 national team level, Kengni has appeared regularly with the Joeys in the past year, and after missing the start of the VPL1 season through injury, he has gone on to be a standout in Besart Berisha’s VPL team since his senior Academy debut against FC Bulleen Lions.
At the other end of the field, 17-year-old Olukhale is another success story throughout the Victory pathway. In the same cohort as Kengni, he was scouted through the Club’s Pre-Academy program and junior club Northcote City and has impressively played for every Academy age group team, winning multiple junior championships. The attacker made his senior Academy debut in a 2025 NPL fixture against South Melbourne FC as a 16-year-old and has also worn the green and gold, being part of the Joeys’ fixtures against Fiji and the Solomon Islands.
Melbourne Victory Director of Football, John Didulica, commented:
“I would like to congratulate William and Malik on penning their first professional deals with Melbourne Victory. This is no doubt a special moment for any player and their family, but it certainly carries extra significance for both boys, who have worked their way through our Academy system, achieving notable individual and team success throughout.
“Everyone at the Club looks forward to them continuing their development and fulfilling their next ambition of playing in the A-Leagues, following in the footsteps of players like Franco Lino who also started here as part of our U13s.”
Congratulations, William and Malik!
