Melbourne Heart Syndicate head coach John van ‘t Schip has arrived in Europe as he kicks off a two-month long scouting trip to discover talent on the continent.
Melbourne Heart Syndicate head coach John van ‘t Schip has arrived in Europe as he kicks off a two-month long scouting trip to discover talent on the continent.
Van ‘t Schip will commence the search in his native Holland before casting his reach elsewhere in a bid to sign players capable of contributing to the team-s inaugural A-League campaign in 2010/11.
But with transfer regulations preventing the approach of players until January, van ‘t Schip-s first task will be to attend games and identify potential recruitment targets.
The ex-Dutch international said he is excited by the prospect of heading overseas to search for fresh talent, and hopes to convince a number of players that their future lies down under.
“I need those weeks in the lead up to Christmas as you aren-t allowed to talk to players or managers until January. Before that I have to do my home work and try to find the players that I think could come over and help us,” he said.
“My main base will be Holland, but from there on I will also be travelling in Europe to other countries and to meet players we already have on our list who probably will be able to come to Australia.”
After conducting a thorough evaluation of future uncontracted players in the A-League, van ‘t Schip will be on the lookout for individuals who fill a particular need in his squad, revealing he has already established the type of players he hopes to entice to the A-League and the Heart Syndicate.
“My plans (for the trip) are to look further to find players for our new team and the players that I think could help us in the positions we have not found here,” he said.
“As I have in mind a particular style I want to integrate, I need some players who can play (a certain) role. Of course I will try to find players in Australia, but if I can-t sign them here, I will have to find them in Europe.”
Approaching potential marquee players is another task van ‘t Schip hopes to undertake while in Europe, but the former Holland assistant coach admits the challenge of searching for a footballer boasting the pre-requisite qualities he covets will be difficult.
“The best thing for a marquee player would be to find someone who can contribute on the park, and also off it as a leader,” he said.
“If you really want an international marquee player then they can earn so much money in Europe, that the only way we can attract them is if they want to come to experience Australia, and they will do that maybe when they are at the end of their career.
“But there are a lot of different aspects you have to talk about before you can attract a really good player to come over.”
