SLOVAKIAN striker Filip Holosoko will become Sydney FC’s overseas marquee for next season, after signing a two-year deal to join the Sky Blues.

The forward left Turkish club Besiktas at the end of last season, having been on loan at fellow Super Lig club Çaykur Rizespor for the past year, and will link up with his new teammates early next month.

Holosko will take the place of last year’s leading scorer Marc Janko as Sydney’s marquee, but will offer a far more mobile threat with the ability to play across the front three.

Sydney issued a statement on Monday night confirming the capture of Holosko after the Daily Telegraph reported he had signed. Holosko’s deal, believed to be worth just over $1m, follows the announcement of the signing of Serbian midfielder Milos Ninkovic last week.

The Sky Blues are confident that Holosko can fill the boots of Janko as marquee, if not the Golden Boot he won last season, with coach Graham Arnold seeing Holosko as more of a replacement for Bernie Ibini.

A photo posted by Filip Holosko (@holoskofilip) on Jul 19, 2015 at 11:35pm PDT

But having played at both a World Cup — in 2010 — and in the European Champions League, the 31-year-old can also lead the line and play on the left, offering Sydney the movement in attack Arnold has craved.

“Filip is a multi-functional player who can play anywhere across the front-line,” Arnold said. “After having to replace Bernie Ibini, he fitted the requirements of what I was looking for.

“He comes with a top pedigree having played for a massive club in Turkey and brings a lot of international experience to the squad.”

Holosko is highly regarded in Turkey and is thought to have had talks with several clubs there, as well as fielding interest from Russia, before opting to wear Sky Blue next season.

Holosko’s pedigree was confirmed by former Sydney coach Vitezslav Lavicka, who coached him at Czech club Slovan Liberec until 2005, though its believed Arnold also did far wider due diligence on a player who has scored eight goals in 65 games for the Slovakian national team.

Though Slovakia are well placed to qualify for next year’s European Championships, it’s believed Holoso’s international commitments will be less onerous than those which led Arnold to release Janko at the end of last season.

Sydney’s interest in Holosko has been flagged for several weeks, but his arrival will mean the club has filled four of its five visa spots, with Arnold pondering options to sign a fifth before the new season..

It’s believed the exit of defender Nikola Petkovic freed up a substantial proportion of the cap, with Arnold able to bring in Ninkovic last week.

Senegalese duo Mickael Tavares and Jacques Faty complete Sydney’s quartet of foreigners signed so far, having both impressed last season after arriving in the January window as injury replacement players.

Arnold has rejigged the Sydney squad significantly, adding a number of players 21 or under to give the first team pool a youthful core- as he did at the Mariners.