Pierre Littbarski says names don't make a soccer star but the high-profile Sydney FC head coach is holding out for former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke to sign on the dotted line.
The German World Cup star had his first training run with the Hyundai A-League side after flying into Sydney on Friday to put the final touches on his two-year head coaching deal.
Four vacancies remain at Sydney FC and Littbarski is holding selection trials at Parklea, in Sydney's north-west, this week to fill them.
He has set a 10-day deadline to finalise the team but hopes just three players will be required, with out-of-favour Birmingham City forward Yorke filling the fourth spot.
"We have a budget problem so there is nobody that is really famous (at the trials) but we have the cousin of (Liberian) George Weah (former FIFA world player of the year), but only names cannot make a good soccer player," Littbarski told reporters in Sydney.
"So we will check out some guys and hopefully we can fill the
last four or hopefully three spots and finish with Dwight Yorke and
hopefully he will sign here."
Sydney FC chairman Walter Bugno said negotiations for Yorke, who is also being sought by some English first division clubs and clubs in Japan and Dubai, were at the "arm wrestling" stage.
"We are at the arm wrestling stage, we put an offer to his agents and they put an offer back to us and now we are arm wrestling," Bugno said.
"We cannot compete with the financial resources of some of those clubs but what we have is the story of a birth of a new club and a city Dwight Yorke loves and I believe we have a competitive offer on the table for him to grab."
Littbarski, the only player in history to compete at three consecutive World Cup finals, said Sydney FC has hard work ahead but the basis was there for a strong team.
"There are many things we have to change and I think everybody wants to be a champion and so they have to work hard for that," he said.
"Using space, using the brain, sometimes in the beginning everybody was running everywhere but not at the right point so I would like to train them so that tactically we have longer ball possession.
"But I am not disappointed."
Littbarski has barely arrived in Australia but he already understands the scant disregard many Australians hold for their soccer players and the tough battle the sport faces to compete with other football codes.
"The impression is that the Australian people have no confidence in their soccer (but) I think if we pull the right strings then we will have a good time together," he said.
But he said now was a different time for soccer in Australia, with an improved financial situation and new organisation running the sport, offering the chance for it to flourish.
"I think now the organisation and the financial situation has changed because at the end we have to deliver a very good product and ... I'm quite confident that we can bring a good product for the people because we are playing for the people, not us."
Sydney FC's first chance to impress is at the Australian Club World Championship Qualifying Tournament from May 7-14.
The knock-out tournament will determine which A-League side will represent Australia in Tahiti at the Oceania qualifiers.