Baniyas are close to completing the signing of Kim Jung-woo, the South Korean midfielder, from Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
The Abu Dhabi club, who on Tuesday announced Spaniard Jesus Garcia Pitarch as their new sporting director, expect to confirm the deal on Thursday.
Kim, 32, has agreed to a one-year contract, with the option to extend for another year should the move prove successful.
Kim spent last season on loan at Sharjah, where he impressed to such an extent that he was named in the Arabian Gulf League’s team of the year at the competition’s annual awards in May.
He will occupy the Asian player slot, replacing Abdulsalam Al Mukhaini, the Omani defender. Kim, who played 28 times for Sharjah, represents Baniyas' first acquisition since installing Luis Garcia as coach earlier this month. Mubarak bin Mahroum, the club chairman, said the transfer had been a collective effort.
“Our technical committee worked with the coach and the new sporting director and we all decided Kim was the Asian player we needed,” Bin Mahroum said. “He is strong, good physically and was what we wanted in the centre of midfield.
“He had a very good season last year with Sharjah, where he one of the best in the league for his position. So he was highly recommended.”
Bin Mahroum, however, denied Baniyas have also recruited Ricardo Costa, the former Valencia defender.
The Portuguese international – he has 21 caps for his national side – has been linked, but Baniyas are still in the market for two foreign players to complete their expatriate quota.
With Kim on his way and Carlos Munoz, the Chilean forward, retained from last season, the club are seeking a second striker and a centre-back. They hope to have deals completed before embarking on their pre-season training camp in Germany on August 10.
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
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How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
