Marco Kurz says Melbourne Victory are still in the market for “at least four or five” new signings ahead of the A-League season.
Kurz will make his debut as Victory coach when Melbourne take on Newcastle in the FFA Cup on Wednesday night with just two senior signings made: Returning Socceroos pair Robbie Kruse and Andrew Nabbout.
Kruse has been ruled out with a leg muscle injury while Nabbout will resume his Victory career four years after leaving Melbourne and soaring into the national team with stints in Malaysia, Newcastle and Japan.
After seeing title rivals strengthen significantly this offseason, Kurz believes he needs a few further signings of their ilk.
“And hopefully very quickly,” he said. “We lost an offensive midfielder, a No. 10. We need for sure central midfielders and we need central defenders.”
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Terry Antonis was the latest to leave last month, joining class acts Keisuke Honda, Carl Valeri, Raul Baena, Georg Niedermeier and Kosta Barbarouses out the door.
“[Antonis] gave us from the first day the feeling he was not happy in Melbourne … so then you must find the solution,” Kurz said. “It’s not easy to find Australian midfielders at the moment but we are looking.”
One such option, James Troisi, is unattached after his contract at Victory ran out but Kurz said he had turned down a contract to stay.
“We gave him a good offer. He was not happy with the offer [so] then we must be looking for another player,” he said.
“I like him … [but] you must find together with the numbers. If not, then you must [keep] looking.”
Kurz downplayed Kruse’s injury, which became apparent after an intra-club match last week — Victory’s sole hit-out of the preseason to date.
“We must be careful with this kind of injury in this moment but it’s nothing serious … two weeks rest to set him up for the future,” he said.
Kurz was appointed off the back of two seasons at Adelaide, where he enjoyed his best success in the FFA Cup.
United lost the 2017 final to Sydney FC, before extracting revenge on the Sky Blues in last year’s decider.
The 50-year-old said he was excited and eager to get going, hoping for warm support from the Victory faithful.
“Nobody knows how good we are or what we need to do better. But we did our best in the past in the last four weeks to prepare the the team as good as we can,” he said.
“I’m positive and I believe and I trust in the boys.
“Adelaide was was the past and Victory is now the future.
“When we played against them it was always hard because the support was fantastic away and at home.
“Now I’m a blue one and I’m happy about it.”