As the players arrived at their training base on Monday still reeling from the weekend's 2-0 defeat to Newcastle Jets, they were immediately confronted with a figure that is set to change their fortunes this season, as well as their shape.

Pulling power The state of Markus Babbel in world football has already proved valuable for the Wanderers. AAP

The former head fitness guru of Bayern Munich, Marcelo Martins, has arrived at Blacktown to become the new strength and conditioning boss of the Wanderers. The highly-rated Brazilian was drawn to the club by Western Sydney's head coach, Marcus Babbel, who knew of Martins through his extensive contacts back in Germany.

Martins spent five seasons working at Bayern Munich under the likes managers Jurgen Klinsmann, Louis van Gaal and Jupp Heynckes. Initially hired by Klinsmann, Martins was appointed as Bayern's specialised fitness coach to work closest to the players, such as Arjen Robben, Thomas Muller, Franck Ribery and Philip Lahm.

Appointed not only for his ability but also to strengthen Bayern's link with its South American contingent, Martins was hired in 2008 from the Qatar national team and remained with the Bavarian giants until 2013 when coach Pep Guardiola took charge. He rejoined Klinsmann immediately, becoming the strength and conditioning coach of the United States national team in 2013 before moving to Sydney to lead the Wanderers' fitness program.

It's understood the Brazilian fitness coach has already made an immediate impact upon his arrival at the club's training base, though the true signs of his progress won't surface for some time.

The club is hailing his arrival as a major coup as they begin to experience the first significant benefit of having a coach at the helm with as much stature in world football as Babbel. The German coach arrived at the Wanderers with most of this season's player recruiting already completed, adding only compatriots Alex Baumjohann and Patrick Ziegler, back-up goalkeeper Danijel Nizic and defensive midfielder midfielder Rashid Mahazi to their roster.