Melbourne Heart hope the success of Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC with veteran ex-Socceroos will ensure Josip Skoko makes his home with the fledgling club in next season's A-League.
Former Socceroos, midfielder Skoko is widely tipped to become the Heart's biggest signing to date, some time in the next month.
Currently playing for Croatian giants Hajduk Split, he has just two matches remaining this season - a League match against arch-rivals Dinamo Zagreb on Sunday and a Cup final against NK Siberek on May 6.
Advertisement: Story continues belowThe Heart remain coy on just how close they might be to securing Skoko, who comes off contract after those two matches.
But they hope the success of Kevin Muscat at the Victory and Steve Corica at Sydney FC will help sway the 34-year-old into joining what is becoming an imposing squad for the Heart's debut season.
Muscat and Corica have been huge influences on their clubs and the competition - exactly the blueprint the Heart see for the 2006 World Cup veteran, should he agree to join them.
"It's sensitive, because we don't want to distract him from what he's doing," Heart football operations' boss John Didulica said of the prospect of signing Skoko.
"We've been about getting the best coach, then getting a group of high-quality professionals to play exciting, marquee football.
"The reason people have linked us with Josip is because which Aussie from Victoria fits those values?
"The challenge for us is to convince him. Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC have shown players over 30 can be a huge success in the league - Muscat and Corica have been most influential at their club.
"He (Skoko) knows the game technically, tactically, and he's been a great player for a long time."
New marquee player rules for next season, which allow two players - one an Australian - to have their wages counted outside the salary cap, also give the Heart new flexibility to sign Skoko.
But Didulica said while the new rules were welcome, it made little difference to the Heart's recruiting strategy, as their preference was not for a glamour foreign marquee player like Robbie Fowler or ex-Sydney star Dwight Yorke.
"We've made it clear we're not after a marquee player with a capital M - the marquee player who'll be the focus and centrepiece of everything we do," Didulica said.
"To put all our eggs in the one basket with a marquee player has not been our approach - we've never been about elevating one player above the group.
"We're about recruiting players whose sum will be greater than that of their parts."
Already the Heart have signed Sydney FC championship players Clint Bolton and Simon Colosimo, and a seasoned group of A-League professionals headed by John Aloisi and ex-Newcastle Jet Matt Thompson.
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/heart-try-to-lure-skoko-to-aleague-20100428-ts3r.html
Former Socceroos, midfielder Skoko is widely tipped to become the Heart's biggest signing to date, some time in the next month.
Currently playing for Croatian giants Hajduk Split, he has just two matches remaining this season - a League match against arch-rivals Dinamo Zagreb on Sunday and a Cup final against NK Siberek on May 6.
Advertisement: Story continues belowThe Heart remain coy on just how close they might be to securing Skoko, who comes off contract after those two matches.
But they hope the success of Kevin Muscat at the Victory and Steve Corica at Sydney FC will help sway the 34-year-old into joining what is becoming an imposing squad for the Heart's debut season.
Muscat and Corica have been huge influences on their clubs and the competition - exactly the blueprint the Heart see for the 2006 World Cup veteran, should he agree to join them.
"It's sensitive, because we don't want to distract him from what he's doing," Heart football operations' boss John Didulica said of the prospect of signing Skoko.
"We've been about getting the best coach, then getting a group of high-quality professionals to play exciting, marquee football.
"The reason people have linked us with Josip is because which Aussie from Victoria fits those values?
"The challenge for us is to convince him. Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC have shown players over 30 can be a huge success in the league - Muscat and Corica have been most influential at their club.
"He (Skoko) knows the game technically, tactically, and he's been a great player for a long time."
New marquee player rules for next season, which allow two players - one an Australian - to have their wages counted outside the salary cap, also give the Heart new flexibility to sign Skoko.
But Didulica said while the new rules were welcome, it made little difference to the Heart's recruiting strategy, as their preference was not for a glamour foreign marquee player like Robbie Fowler or ex-Sydney star Dwight Yorke.
"We've made it clear we're not after a marquee player with a capital M - the marquee player who'll be the focus and centrepiece of everything we do," Didulica said.
"To put all our eggs in the one basket with a marquee player has not been our approach - we've never been about elevating one player above the group.
"We're about recruiting players whose sum will be greater than that of their parts."
Already the Heart have signed Sydney FC championship players Clint Bolton and Simon Colosimo, and a seasoned group of A-League professionals headed by John Aloisi and ex-Newcastle Jet Matt Thompson.
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/heart-try-to-lure-skoko-to-aleague-20100428-ts3r.html
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