JAPANESE midfielder Hirofumi Moriyasu is poised to leave Sydney FC after being offered a payout to annul his contract.

The 27-year-old, signed by former boss Vitezslav Lavicka, was absent from training yesterday and it's understood he has been told he does not feature in the plans of new coach Ian Crook.

Moriyasu signed for Sydney two years ago and has another season to run on his contract, but the club hope to reach an agreement with him, thus freeing up a visa spot in the squad for this season.

A former youth player with Shimizu S-Pulse, where Alex Brosque now plays, Moriyasu was on the verge of quitting the game in 2009 but decided to try his luck in Australia and initially earned a contract with APIA Leichhardt in the NSW Premier League, before catching Lavicka's eye.

Though his departure means Crook has two spots under the 23-man limit, it's understood the club does not plan to rush into further signings as it bids to bed down new arrivals including Kruno Lovrek, Adam Griffiths, Yairo Yau and Fabio.

Crook will be without both Brett Emerton and Pascal Bosschaart for several weeks as they recover from substantial surgery in the off-season, while young forward Joel Chianese is being forced to rest with an ongoing quad injury.

Meanwhile, Central Coast have confirmed the signing of Brent Griffiths, the brother of recently departed midfielder Rostyn, joining on a one-season deal to bolster Graham Arnold's defensive stocks.

"Brent gives us A-League experience having played with both Perth Glory and Wellington Phoenix," Arnold said of the player who had recently been playing at Heidelberg United in the Victorian Premier League.

"He offers us further depth in the centre of defence, where we also have Patrick Zwaanswijk, Zac Anderson and Trent Sainsbury.

"Brent gives us good cover at left stopper and can adapt to a number of other roles on the pitch should we need him to."

Originally published as Coach to farewell Moriyasu