Melbourne Victory to give new manager Marco Kurz the financial backing he needs to be a success
A new era is about to start at Melbourne Victory under coach Marco Kurz and the club say they will back his wish to fill the squad with ‘high quality’ players.
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Melbourne Victory chairman Anthony Di Pietro has vowed to give new coach Marco Kurz the financial backing he needs to be successful at the A-League powerhouse.
Kurz, 50, has signed a two-year contract to replace the outgoing Kevin Muscat and become the sixth head coach at Victory following a two-year stint at the helm of Adelaide United.
Victory has plenty of spots to fill in its squad for the new season, and Di Pietro said his new manager would be given the means to find the best players possible.
“We want to provide every resource we possibly can to support Marco,” Di Pietro said.
“And as he said there’s a lot of work to do to build the squad, which is an amazing opportunity.
“And we think that, with what we can support Marco with and his leadership, we’re really excited that he can ignite the passion amongst our fans.
“He’s a passionate person and with the right resources, it’s an exciting time ahead and I’m sure the members are excited about.”
Kurz, who had a limited budget at Adelaide, said he was eager to fill his new roster and quickly.
“I think we need a hungry team for the future, that’s important,” he said.
“The squad must also be filled with high quality players.
“At the moment we are in discussions with players from overseas and Australia as well and we’re looking forward to building a strong and talented team, but it needs time.
“Success is a big part of the club, I know it, and I’ll do everything in my power to be successful with Victory in the future.”
Di Pietro said bringing in another marquee at the level similar to that of superstar Keisuke Honda – who played with Victory last season – remained an option.
“We have a marquee position available and there’s a number of discussions underway at the moment, but it’s too early to tell,” he said.
“It’s just watch this space, but certainly we want the best squad possible.”
Kurz vowed to hit the ground running after only just arriving in Melbourne this week.
“I think that if a coach comes into the club you have a lot of work to do,” he said.
“A new coach always brings a new philosophy, a new culture, a new strategy and new structures.
“That means I need to speak with everybody in the club to explain my ideas but also get to know what was in the past and then to find out a good way for success for the future.”
Kurz hails from Germany, where he played and coached before signing as Adelaide United coach in 2017.
He arrives in Melbourne with his partner Tammy, and said he looked forward to settling into his new home.
“We (Tammy and I ) visited Melbourne in the past for a couple of day, but I don’t know much about it,” he told the Herald Sun.
“But my first impressions are positive and I think it’s easy to feel comfortable in Melbourne.
“I think Melbourne is a fantastic sports city and if we have time I’ll get to some AFL games.”
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