Australia must reach the last four to return to the Olympic Games for the first time since Beijing 2008.
And Arnold is confident the hefty overseas contingent he plans to integrate into his 23-man squad will provide the added impetus needed to get the job done.
Rising talents like Fortuna Düsseldorf’s Joshua Laws, Borussia Monchengladbach’s Jacob Italiano and AGF’s Zach Duncan are on Arnold’s radar, as well as the likes of Ipswich Town striker Ben Folami, Italy-based defender Gabriel Cleur and Willem II midfielder Dylan Ryan.
“I’ve got a 35-strong group of players I’ve got to get down to 23 - and I’m looking at around 11 or so European boys and as of now we’ve got permission for eight or nine of them to be released by their clubs,” said Arnold.
“The tournament is being staged during a non-FIFA window and so we’ve had to do some talking to clubs and I’ve been encouraged by the feedback.
“Since I’ve been in charge the first phase of preparations centered around home-based players because we could get them released.
“But in the last three months we’ve had three camps and have had a look at a lot of foreign-based Australian players.
“There are some very good Australian kids nobody knows too much about.
“I expect those players ... kids like Joshua Laws in Germany - who’s a versatile midfielder who can also play at the back - to step up.
“He’s been impressive, and so has Zach Duncan who's making great headway at AGF (after leaving Brisbane Roar for Denmark).
“Jacob Italiano (now part of the Borussia Monchengladbach talent factory after signing from Perth Glory) is another one making good progress overseas. These are the sorts of guys we’re looking at.”
Socceroos coach Arnold, who took on the Olyroos role to help develop Australia’s next-gen talents, has also been negotiating with Celtic in the hope of winning the release of Daniel Arzani during the Scottish Premiership winter break.
With many of Australia’s rivals already in camp and deep into pre-tournament preparation, fortified by lavish budgets and several warm-up matches, Arnold will get seven days with his squad and one friendly match.
Despite the handicaps, he has faith in the players at his disposal and isn’t heading to Thailand with the aim of simply battling it out in the hope of a top-four finish.
“I’m not looking to go there just to qualify for the Olympics ... I’m looking to go there and win the U-23 Asian Cup,” he said.
“It’s a simple as that. The qualification will come after success at the tournament. My whole focus is going there to win it.
“I think we are in a good group with Iraq first up (January 8), then the hosts Thailand (January 11) and finishing up against Bahrain (January 14).”
Arnold has faced some flak from disgruntled A-League coaches over the release of players in recent months, with imported mentors the least understanding of the pre-existing agreements already in place.
But he insists he’s on the same page as the club owners.
“The owners signed off on a document at the start of the season that guaranteed the availability of players and I’d like to thank them for that,” he explained.
“Their coaches are aware of the timing and the dates of the tournament and received letters well in advance.
“There are no issues at all and I’m grateful for their support.
“The communication has been there since I’ve been in the job, which I took to help the kids develop and hopefully fulfill some of their dreams.”
