Brisbane Roar’s recruiting plan for next season is about to hit overdrive with coach Ange Postecoglou preparing to scour Europe for the club’s next superstar.
As players enjoy the first official day of their off-season, Postecoglou is finalising the last details of a four-week European scouting mission.
Arriving in Greece later this week, Postecoglou will be travelling to Holland, Germany and Spain in search of adding quality of depth to his squad.
“Obviously we have a fair bit of work to do in terms of planning and recruiting for next year,” Postecoglou said.
“I-ll be linking up with some agents and people who have been recommended to me.
“It-ll be just a case of working on our last few signings and make sure our planning and program for next year is done well.”
Working non-stop since he began his tenure with the club, Postecoglou and his coaching staff have built a dossier of players suited for next season-s flight to the top.
However, Postecoglou refuses to gamble with next season-s roster, preferring to see players live in action than rely on word of mouth.
“I-ve got some ideas (on players), but we want to make sure we get it right, so we-re not going to rush into anything,” he said.
“We have to make sure the ones we do look likely to sign I get a good look at and get as much information as possible.
“That will be the point of the trip.”
Europe may be calling on the international front, but with only two visa spots open to the Roar, local and domestic talent will be Postecoglou-s next port of call.
“We-ve already had a bit of a look around Brisbane and we-ll continue to do so and also the rest of Australia,” he said.
“But once again, we-ll make sure the players we bring in will be the right fit in terms of ability and terms of personality that we want at the club.”
Despite the exhaustion of non-stop travel, crossing different time zones and keeping tabs on a handful of players, Postecoglou said he looked forward to the off-season treasure hunt.
“It-s a good chance to do meaningful work without the pressure of the games,” he said.
“This is the time of the year, not only for myself but the rest of the staff, we can get stuck into preparing the players properly.
“The players as well … are looking for a bit of break and hopefully will come back with plenty of enthusiasm and motivation to do well.”
The Roar coaching staff are leaving no stone unturned in their ambition to restore the Roar to the top six, with an extended pre-season awaiting players on their return to the club.
“When you make a lot of changes to a squad … it is important we have plenty of time to get them to understand our style of play,” Postecoglou said.
“Pre-season is the most important part of the year, especially if you look at the injuries and disruptions we had last year.
“So the positive thing for us is we have a good three and half months of pre-season and we can take our time with the things we do.”
