Shin Tae-yong Opens Opportunity to Bring His Former Protégé from the Indonesian National Team to Persija

The arrival of Shin Tae-yong as the new head coach of Persija Jakarta has sparked speculation over the direction that the Macan Kemayoran squad will be built towards. One key talking point is the possibility that this South Korean Coach may bring over several players he previously relied on during his tenure leading the Indonesia National Football Team.

During his official introduction event at Jakarta International Stadium (JIS) on Monday, the former Indonesia National Team head coach confirmed he has the intention to work again with multiple players that he developed and guided over the previous five years.

Since taking charge of the Indonesia National Team in 2020, Shin Tae-yong built the foundational structure for a new generation of Indonesian football. Numerous young players progressed rapidly under his leadership, going on to become core members of the Garuda Squad across various international tournaments.

Now that he has officially taken the Persija role on a three year contract, the possibility for these reunions is open.

"Yes, there is definitely intention to bring across former national team players that I have worked with. However we first must assess each player's individual situation. For example, many are already bound by active contracts at their current clubs, along with other limiting factors," stated STY during his introduction press conference at Jakarta International Stadium (JIS), North Jakarta, on Monday.

This statement immediately drew wide public attention. Many of Shin's trusted players from his national team period are currently signed to clubs both inside and outside of Indonesia.

Notably, multiple players that previously worked under Shin are already part of the current Persija squad. Players including Rizky Ridho, Witan Sulaeman and Jordi Amat are already familiar with Shin's tactical playing philosophy from their time in the national team setup.

The presence of these players will help smooth Shin Tae-yong's adaptation process as he builds the team aligned with his vision.

Alongside addressing potential recruitment of his former protégés, Shin also confirmed he will be bringing a number of long-standing coaching staff members that have worked alongside him for years.

"For the assistant coaching roles, all of you journalists will already recognise most of them, as they were also part of the national team backroom staff previously," he noted.

Beyond squad and coaching staff composition, Shin also outlined the playing identity that Persija will adopt under his leadership.

During his national team tenure, Shin was recognised for his pragmatic tactical approach. Indonesia would consistently operate with disciplined defensive structure, and utilise fast counter attacks when facing opponents of higher quality.

"When I was with the national team, almost all our opponents were stronger and more developed than Indonesia. That is why we always prioritised solid defending first, before launching counter attacks," he explained.

At Persija however, Shin intends to implement a far more aggressive approach. He stated his team must take match initiative, and aim to play with dominance in domestic competition.

To achieve this, he signalled that careful squad construction will be critical, including the selection of foreign import players.

"But for the domestic league, we will first hold further discussions with Mr Panca and the rest of the Persija Jakarta management regarding Foreign Player recruitment. Once that process is complete, we will be able to deliver better, faster and much more attacking football," he added.

With his extensive experience leading the Indonesia National Team and proven track record developing young talent, Shin Tae-yong arrives carrying massive expectations to return Persija back to genuine title contention.