NEWCASTLE executive chairman Shane Mattiske is confident that Arthur Papas will put the Jets "on the path to success" and the club boss has promised resources to assist the first-time A-League coach deliver.
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Papas will be unveiled as the Jets coach for the next two seasons at a press conference on Monday.
He takes the reins from Craig Deans, who stood down after one campaign in charge, citing burnout. Deans is likely to be part of a reworked football structure that will include "new faces" apart from Papas.
"Arthur is very driven to succeed and we are very driven to succeed," Mattiske said. "We are confident that we will be on a path to success with him as coach. He has signed a two-year deal. We look forward to that period and hope to move beyond that as well."
Papas, 41, spent two seasons as the right-hand man to Ange Postecoglou at Yokohama F. Marinos, helping guide them to a historic J-League title in 2019, and was most recently in control of J3 club Kagoshima United.
It will be the Melburnian's second stint in Newcastle. Papas was the youth league coach and assistant under Gary van Egmond in 2011. He left after six months to take up the role of Indian under-23 coach and has since had stints in the Indian Super League, United Arab Emirates, Victorian NPL and Japan.
"Arthur has great experience under Ange Postecoglou, who has established himself as Australia's most successful coach internationally," Mattiske said. "We have done all the references you would expect. Arthur is talked of very highly by senior figures in football.
"Through the process of appointing Arthur, we have seen how hard he works.
"With his views on structure and technical aspects of play, we have great confidence that he will bring the right nature of play to the club, the right type of players and ultimately he will bring success."
The Jets hosted the grand final in 2018 but have not featured in the finals since.
They have a lot of work to do - on and off the field - if they are to return as a competition force after an underwhelming 2020-21 campaign.
Last on the ladder with three games to play, the Jets recorded two wins and a draw to move above Melbourne Victory.
Most of the issues were in attack, where their 24 goals was the worst output of any team.
With a new consortium - comprised of the owners from Western Sydney, Sydney FC, Western United and Wellington - taking control of the club on the eve of last season, there was not a lot of investment on the roster.
Of the 32 players used last campaign, 16 have departed, headed by captain Nigel Boogaard (retired), golden boot Roy O'Donovan and regulars Steve Ugarkovic, Matt Millar, Ramy Najjarine and Luka Prso.
Talks are continuing with Nikolai Topor-Stanley and the Jets have been linked to Olyroos midfielder Cam Devlin, who has left Wellington, and former Perth defender Dane Ingham.
"We are investing in a very capable squad of players," Mattiske said. "Those players are going to come from the Australian market and we are also looking overseas. We are not going to spend for the sake of spending. We are looking for quality players who are going to carry us forward.
"The focus is on success.
"We are confident that the players we already have a lead on will be the sort of players who will carry the club forward and align with our philosophy - intense competition, speed and positive play. We are confident that the players we are in discussions with will align with that philosophy."
Papas has extensive experience and networks in Asia and Europe which Mattiske said would be explored in building the playing roster.
"Arthur has a great knowledge of emerging Australian talent and he also has a great knowledge of players circulating internationally, whether they are playing in markets like Asia and Europe," Mattiske said.
"We are quite open-minded where talent may come from, but we also want to support talent from this region.
"We want to continue to bring players through like Archie Goodwin. We also want to find good quality players who are more broadly available on the Australian market.
"We are looking for quality players who are going to carry us forward."
The squad assembles for pre-season training on July 12.
As well as new players, there will be some fresh faces on the coaching staff.
"We are working to lock in the football structure around Arthur," Mattiske said. "There will be some new faces.
"We are building a very strong football structure."
