Petratos signed a three-year deal in January to join the Jets from Brisbane, but in early February he moved to the K-League instead on a three-year contract.   

Four months and nine Ulsan games later, Petratos is back in the A-League to take up a two-year deal with Newcastle after completing a medical on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old did not receive the game time he had hoped for under Ulsan’s manager, Kim Do-hoon.

“Different culture, different people. You’ve got to try and adjust to it. Sometimes it’s good; sometimes it’s not so good,” Petratos said.

“Sometimes you’re in the plan and sometimes you’re not. I played a few games, got a bit of experience. These things happen in football. You’ve just got to take what you can from it and move on.”

Petratos should have no such problems at Newcastle, where he will be a key player for coach Ernie Merrick as the A-League wooden spooners try to atone for a dismal end to last season.

He scored 15 goals in 94 games at Brisbane and could provide the attacking output from midfield the Jets have been sorely lacking.

The Australian under-17, under-21 and under-23 player said the offer to join Ulsan had been too good to refuse. 

“That just happens in football. I didn’t have much time to decide what I wanted to do when the opportunity came to sign with Ulsan. At the time I thought it was the best decision for my family and myself. Finally I’m here, and I can’t wait to play.”

Petratos’ convoluted arrival has proved good business for the Jets, who are understood to have picked up half of his $300,000 transfer fee from Brisbane to Ulsan. If he performs well in Newcastle, they could make another tidy profit selling him overseas before his contract runs out. 

But Merrick is more interested in what Petratos can bring to his team.

“Dimi is an attacking midfielder who is confident on the ball, can retain possession and play key forward passes to strikers,” Merrick said in a club statement. 

“I hope to add to his game and encourage him to push more often into goal-scoring areas.”