Bas van den Brink believes former Gold Coast United teamate Steve Pantelidis is the ideal person to complete the Perth Glory squad.
Bas van den Brink believes former Gold Coast United teammate Steve Pantelidis is the ideal person to complete the Perth Glory squad.
Pantelidis began training with Glory on Friday with an eye to taking the final spot on the club’s roster for the upcoming Hyundai A-League season.
The 28-year-old, who would help to ease Perth’s lack of defensive depth, won the 2007 title with Melbourne Victory before spending two seasons with Gold Coast and playing in Indonesia earlier this year.
Van den Brink said their time together at Gold Coast convinced him Pantelidis, despite his controversial reputation, would help Glory’s chances of qualifying for the finals for just the second time since the creation of the Hyundai A-League.
“You need players like him, who are sometimes a bit dirty but will do anything to win a game,” van den Brink said.
“He maybe looks tough on the outside but he’s a really good guy to have in the team, he’s always friendly and happy. I don’t know what happens in the game but he kind of switches on to a different person.”
“I’m not sure what’s going to happen with him, but he would definitely be a good addition to our team. He can play in a lot of different positions.”
“I was surprised that he wasn’t picked up by any side before Perth Glory.”
Ian Ferguson’s side has just six recognised defenders in the senior squad, but the Dutch centre-back said he was confident there was enough quality in that group to keep clean sheets.
He said the return of Chris Coyne, who missed all of last season after transfer complications and an injury, should help the club improve their defensive record from last season, which saw them concede a second-highest tally of 54 goals.
“He’s got a lot of experience and he’s able to put other players in good positions, which makes defending a lot easier,” van den Brink said.
“It’s really good for the team to have him back. He’s a very responsible defender and you need players like him.”
“What happened in previous years isn’t up to us. It’s up to us to make a difference and play good games and concede as few goals as we can.”
“I think those guys (Glory’s defenders) are easy to play with because they’re good footballers. Maybe last season there was a bit of bad luck, something like that. But I think we’ve got a good defence.”
Perth’s new-look back four faces its first test at nib Stadium on Sunday against Adelaide United, which boasts strong attacking weapons in the likes of Sergio van Dijk, Bruce Djite and Dario Vidosic.
