Richardson was bullish on Wednesday as he rolled out the red carpet to Luai in his first engagement since taking charge of the club on an interim basis.
His appointment came less than 24 hours after a boardroom revolt claimed the scalp of outspoken chairman Lee Hagipantelis and led to the resignation of longstanding chief executive Justin Pascoe following a review into the club's sustained failures.
Hagipantelis and Pascoe have presided over a Tigers club that has picked up the past two wooden spoons and hasn't played finals in 12 years.
But Richardson, who previously took South Sydney and Penrith from the NRL doldrums to premiership glory, insisted the Tigers would be an attractive proposition for Luai.
Off-contract at the end of the 2024 season, three-time premiership-winning five-eighth Luai is one of the most sought-after targets on the open market and recently met with rookie Tigers coach Benji Marshall.
"I've made my feelings on Luai known for a long time," Richardson said.
"In my opinion, he was the best young half coming through.
"Not only that, he's a great team leader. That Penrith side revolves around Luai.
The Wests Tigers hope to lure three-time premiership-winning five-eighth Jarome Luai from Penrith. (Mark Evans/AAP PHOTOS)
"He's a great person off the field, despite what many media people like to try to make out.
"You couldn't meet a better person than him and you couldn't ask for a better person at the club."
Richardson confirmed Warriors prop Addin Fonua-Blake, who has agreed to return to Sydney at the end of the 2024 season, is also on the Tigers' radar.
The veteran administrator said Marshall would always have the final say in any recruitment and retention decisions, and that the chance to turn the club around would appeal to players.
"At the end of the day, they want to be part of a rebuilding of a club to greatness again, and you cannot put boundaries on that," Richardson said.
"It may have taken two years with Penrith, it might have taken 10 years with Souths, but the reality is every day of our lives we're going to be working towards achieving that."
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