Al Ahli make the biggest moves
The winter transfer window opened on January 18 and will close on February 12, and while many moves could still be made, so far defending Arabian Gulf League champions Al Ahli have made the boldest changes.
Finishing the first half of the season in sixth, seven points behind joint leaders Al Jazira and Al Ain, Ahli have opened their cheque book in an attempt to defend their title.
They bought Moroccan winger Oussama Assaidi from Liverpool and then beat some of Europe’s biggest clubs, like Manchester United, Liverpool and AC Milan, to sign the biggest star of the Brazilian league over the past two seasons, Everton Ribeiro.
The arrival of those two should enthuse not just Ahli fans but the whole AGL community.
RELATED:
- Move over Mourinho, Ivan Jovanovic is Al Nasr’s Special One
- Al Ahli’s Oussama Assaidi fires parting shot at Liverpool
Questions can be raised about whether two more midfielders were needed in a team already boasting Luis Jimenez and Carlos Munoz, and a number of Emiratis vying for similar positions.
If Grafite, as is widely believed, is about to be shown the door, then his replacement should have been a striker, especially since Ahli have struggled for goals – their tally of 21 is the lowest among the top seven clubs.
It seems the club are pinning their hopes on UAE forward Ahmed Khalil, Munoz and their midfield stars to get the goals. It would be interesting to see if they deliver.
Cahill looks a sound choice
Like Assaidi and Ribeiro, Tim Cahill could also be a great addition to the AGL if the "tentative agreement" between the Australian star and Al Wahda turns into a formal deal.
Cahill celebrated his 35th birthday in December but, as he has shown at the ongoing Asian Cup and last summer’s World Cup in Brazil, the former Everton star could combine with Sebastian Tagliabue to make a formidable attacking duo for Wahda.
Jazira and Al Ain, the teams who have displaced Wahda from the top of the AGL standings, each have a fine foreign striker in their ranks – Mirko Vucinic at the former and Asamoah Gyan at the latter.
Wahda’s determination to bring Cahill to the AGL makes sense – the Australian will add considerable bite to an attack that has looked a bit tame, with 24 goals compared to 37 for Jazira and 32 for Al Ain.
Viana boost for Wasl
Dumped by the defending champions Ahli in favour of Romanian Mirel Radoi, Hugo Viana has spent four months on the sidelines, waiting for the winter transfer window to open as his registration by Al Wasl in the extended hours of the summer transfer window was annulled.
The 32-year-old Portuguese is now ready for his return to the AGL and officials at the Zabeel Stadium are confident Ahli’s loss has been their gain.
Viana has looked impressive in the friendly matches during this international break and with him marshalling their midfield in the second half of the season, excited Wasl fans are predicting their team’s continued rise up the rankings.
Earlier in the season, a disappointed Ahli fan had described Viana’s departure from the Rashid Stadium as the “perfect gift for Wasl”. Many more of the Ahli fans could feel that way should the Portuguese live up to his promise.
Baniyas to look beyond Kim?
Baniyas have never been known for their patience, but they have shown plenty of it this season. The Abu Dhabi club kept faith in coach Luis Garcia even after a miserable start, when the team went through the first five matches of the AGL without a win. The management also took no action when Garcia had an on-pitch argument with the club’s biggest star, Amer Abdulrahman. In the past, such an event would have surely cost the coach his job.
The club should be commended for their patience and insistence on stability, but perhaps it is time to make a decision on their South Korean midfielder Kim Jung-woo.
Kim, 32, was excellent at Sharjah last season, but has managed only five league appearances for Baniyas due to injuries. Sources at the club have hinted they might be forced to look at other options if the injury concerns persist, but time is of the essence.
Dhafra look like Dubai
What is happening at Al Dhafra? They are looking as impulsive as Dubai Club of recent past. Laurent Banide is their third coach of the season – Anel Karabeg was sacked and his successor Marin Ion has, according to the club, “apologised for not continuing his career with the team”.
The club also have changed one of their foreign players – replacing Moroccan Youssef Kaddiou with Brazilian Carlos Alberto, a talented but mercurial midfielder.
There could be more changes at the club before the February 12 deadline, just as we saw in October when Kaddiou and Humam Tariq were brought in to replace Brazilian Paulinho and Matias Defederico of Argentina before the close of the summer transfer window.
All that chopping and changing did not help Dubai, who were relegated last season, and hopefully Dhafra realise that. They have probably wasted a great opportunity to build on their semi-final appearances in last season’s President’s Cup and Arabian Gulf Cup.
Follow us on Twitter @SprtNationalUAE