Proia has been on Brisbane's radar for a while and joins on a deal which runs until the end of the 2013-14 season.

The Roar coach does not expect him to have an immediate effect and and plans to continue the youngster's development before playing him at A-League level.

"We've brought him on board this week but he's someone we've been following for a while," Postecoglou said.

"Part of our recruiting strategy is that it's not just about today but about tomorrow because we want to make sure this club is successful and maintains its success.

"We've seen a lot of A-League clubs have the yo-yo effect of being up and down over many years and we certainly don't want to be a club like that.

"We want to be challenging for the title every year and to do that, you've got to make sure you're recruiting not just for today."

In terms of ability, attitude and potential, the Brisbane coach was confident the 17-year-old ticked all the right boxes, saying he was looking forward to seeing how Proia developed training alongside some of the Hyundai A-League’s best players.

“I’m sure he’ll fit in well and be a contributor,” Postecoglou said. “He’s young, he’s quick and he’s a good finisher and he’s still got a lot to learn about the game.

"But being in our environment will help him in terms of that and he’s certainly got a hunger to succeed which is really important.

“He’s a very coachable guy, so those are the kind of attributes we look for.”

Proia was delighted to have been snapped up by a club with a proven track record in developing young players and was looking forward to working with Brisbane's established attacking players, including the league's leading scorer Besart Berisha.

"This means everything to me because it's Brisbane Roar," he said. "I was watching last year and I guess it's everyone's dream to play for Brisbane Roar in the Australian league, especially me.

"To look at some of the boys they've got up here like Bes (Berisha) – he's a great guy to learn from.

"I can't wait to play with him, learn from him and hopefully become a great footballer like him one day."