Gertjan Verbeek is set to be announced as new Adelaide United coach

Adelaide United chairman Piet van der Pol is set to announce a Dutch replacement for hugely popular coach Marco Kurz.

Adelaide United is edging closer to announcing Dutchman Gertjan Verbeek as the new Reds boss to replace the hugely popular German Marco Kurz.

It’s understood Reds officials are finalising the Dutchman’s contract before he is expected to start work in June.

Verbeek, who is no relation to former Socceroos boss Pim Verbeek, is also tipped to be working alongside a South Australian coach.

Speculation is pointing towards Socceroos legend Tony Vidmar as his No. 2 after his former boss at Melbourne City Warren Joyce was sacked on Wednesday.

Vidmar has a young family based in Adelaide and was commuting regularly back and forth to Melbourne.

It’s believed Adelaide chairman Piet van der Pol has had a long association with Verbeek and met the Dutch boss during his European travels once he announced Kurz would not have his two-year contract extended in March.

He is expected to become Adelaide’s second Dutch coach after Rini Coolen led the club in 2010 before he was forced to step down and later quit the job in 2011.

Coolen was Adelaide’s first foreign coach with the club since appointing three imports including Spaniards Josep Gombau and Guillermo Amor and German Kurz.

The 56-year-old Verbeek ended his last coaching job with Dutch Eredivisie club FC Twente in March, 2018.

FC Twente coach Gertjan Verbeek in the Dutch Eredivisie match against FC Groningen at the De Grolsch Veste in the Netherlands. Picture: Peter Lous/Getty

He was sacked as coach and football director after 147 days in charge of the club before it was relegated.

Former Adelaide United midfielder James Holland was in Verbeek’s squad but never played while ex Socceroo Brett Holman played 84 games under the Dutchman at AZ Alkmaar.

“I like the way he works, he’s the type of guy who loves football, he puts everything into it,’’ Holman said from Queensland where he is recuperating from a knee injury which kept him sidelined all season from Roar.

“He’s always the first to get to training and the last to go home and being from a Dutch school he is full on with details, he has evolved a lot and been to a lot of clubs.

“It wasn’t all just about the football, he was focusing on the younger players, developing, nutrition.

AZ Alkmaar's Brett Holman wins the ball from Arsenal’s Alex Song in the Champions League Group H match at the Emirates Stadium in London in November 2009.

“It wasn’t ‘let’s get on the field and try to win a game’ it was more ‘if we get everything right at least if we tick boxes in some other aspects it might help us in the games’.

“From my personal view you have to buy into him because it works but he is full on.

“He wants to work hard and he expects the same from every other player.

“I played some of my best football and got to the English Premier League under him.

“To speak highly of him is pretty easy.

“And getting Dutch foreigners for Adelaide will be easier for him.

“He will suit Adelaide, they’re a type of side who leaves everything on the pitch, he’s that type of guy, he’s mentally strong and he wants his players to be like that as well.

Australian-born Croatian international keeper Joey Didulica also played under Verbeek at AZ.

Verbeek’s coaching career has seen him claim the Dutch Cup with a record of 228 wins, 121 draws and 188 losses with various clubs.

A former footballer with Dutch clubs Herenveen and SC Heracles has also coached both clubs.

He has also been in charge of Feyenoord and Germany’s FC Nuremberg and VfL Bochum.

Verbeek’s pending appointment also means Kurz’s five-star coaching team of assistant Filip Tapolovic and goalkeeper coach Frank Juric are also departing.

Juric was, according to sources, at Adelaide’s presentation night given an unofficial farewell during a speech which surprised the former Socceroos goalkeeper.

Juric had been waiting to meet Reds officials to discuss an extension after new club Western United made an approach.

Adelaide has been hunting for a goalkeeper coach to replace Juric.

Former Reds goalkeeper coach Peter Blazincic was one candidate who turned down the offer to return.

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