New signing: Brazilian Luiz Motta (right) and South Korean Lee Tae-min will be expected to give Perak some edge in the new Super League season. — Agencies
PETALING JAYA: Luiz Motta is a brick wall from Brazil and Lee Tae-min is a speedster from South Korea.
And the foreign combo are expected to give Perak some edge when they begin their Super League campaign under the experienced hands of coach Yusri Che Lah.
Instead of breaking the bank, the Ipoh-based club have done due diligence to find a perfect fit for the team.
Motta, who is 1.88m tall, is physically strong and is set to stifle his opponents with his intelligent moves.
Not only that, he has shown the ability to score goals via set-pieces and late charges at the penalty box when he plays as a defensive midfielder.
Yusri said he had been monitoring the 26-year-old Motta for a month with the help of one of his former players in Kelantan – Cassio de Jesus.
“I had 120 player profiles given to me for imports alone. For the centreback position, I finalised four Brazilians based on our budget and told Cassio to help me out,” said Yusri.
“Motta is versatile but I see him as a centreback. I am sure he will help with our style of game.
“His arrival should motivate the other defenders like A. Shivan (Pillay), Jesper (Nyholm), Ariff (Ar-Rasyid) and Nik Umar (Nik Aziz).
“They know they have to be at their best and as a coach, I want that.”
As for the selection of the 20-year-old Tae-min, Yusri said he asked his ex-player in Kelantan, Do Dong-hyun, to scout the youngster who played for K-League Two club Busan I’Park.
“We even watched his performance when he was loaned to Gimpo in 2022. I used WyScout, a scouting and match analysis application, to see his performances,” said Yusri.
“Tae-min fits my game style. I need a winger who can open up spaces and use his pace to break down defences. He was within our budget.
“I need depth in the wing position because we can’t be too reliant on Wan Zack (Wan Haikal), who is getting old and also Firdaus Sayadi.”
Tae-min revealed his delight to join his first-ever overseas club.
“It is a new challenge. I have to adapt to the surroundings in Malaysia as quickly as possible,” said Tae-min.
Meanwhile, Yusri said he would hire a foreign striker to complete his team.
“I’ve finalised three names and I hope to pick the right one. I know the fans and management have big expectations.
“I remember how the fans reacted after we signed Stipe (Plazibat) in 2022 and Christian Obiozor in 2023.
They did not fare well and fans were unhappy. I want to make sure we make the right choice to lead our attack.”
