<span><a href="gopher://topicL3RoZW5hdGlvbmFsL09yZ2FuaXNhdGlvbnMvU3BvcnRzIHRlYW1zL1VBRSBmb290YmFsbCB0ZWFtcy9BbCBBaGxp" inlink="topic::L3RoZW5hdGlvbmFsL09yZ2FuaXNhdGlvbnMvU3BvcnRzIHRlYW1zL1VBRSBmb290YmFsbCB0ZWFtcy9BbCBBaGxp">Al Ahli</a> on Saturday night confirmed the appointment of <a href="gopher://topicL3RoZW5hdGlvbmFsL09yZ2FuaXNhdGlvbnMvU3BvcnRzIHRlYW1zL1VBRSBmb290YmFsbCB0ZWFtcy9BbCBBaW4=" inlink="topic::L3RoZW5hdGlvbmFsL09yZ2FuaXNhdGlvbnMvU3BvcnRzIHRlYW1zL1VBRSBmb290YmFsbCB0ZWFtcy9BbCBBaW4=">Al Ain</a>’s two-time league-winning manager Cosmin Olaroiu as their new coach after the Romanian agreed to a three-year deal with the Dubai club.</span> <span>Luring the former Steaua Bucharest coach to Rashid Stadium on a reported €4 million (Dh19m) a year contract from their domestic rivals will be seen as a massive coup for Ahli, who finished runners-up to Olariou’s Al Ain in the 2012/13 <a href="gopher://topicL3RoZW5hdGlvbmFsL1N1YmplY3RzL0FyYWJpYW4gR3VsZiBMZWFndWU=" inlink="topic::L3RoZW5hdGlvbmFsL1N1YmplY3RzL0FyYWJpYW4gR3VsZiBMZWFndWU=">Arabian Gulf League</a> campaign.</span> <span>Olaroiu replaces Quique Sanchez-Flores, who last month ended his 19-month tenure in charge.</span> <span>Olariou had 12 months remaining on his Al Ain contract and was said to be considering a proposal from the club to extend his stay but has now chosen to take up a new challenge with Ahli. He will be officially introduced to the players on July 14 ahead of the club’s pre-season training camp in Austria.</span> <span>In another move that is sure to delight Ahli fans the Italian World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro, who has been working at Al Ahli in a special adviser role since retiring, will join Olaroiu in the dugout as his assistant in the rebranded Arabian Gulf League.</span> <span>A statement on the club’s website read: “Al Ahli Football Club has agreed a contract with Romanian coach Cosmin Olaroiu that will see him lead the team for three years.</span> <span>“The contract was signed in the presence of club CEO Ahmed Khalifa Hammad, sporting director Roy Aitken and team manager Ahmed Shah.</span> <span>“Cosmin will arrive in Dubai on July 14 and will be introduced to the media before embarking on pre-season with Al Ahli. The team will go to Austria for a training camp ahead of the new season where they will work on fitness and compete in friendly matches to get ready for the new season.”</span> <span><strong><a href="gopher://topicL3RoZW5hdGlvbmFsL09yZ2FuaXNhdGlvbnMvU3BvcnRzIHRlYW1zL1VBRSBmb290YmFsbCB0ZWFtcy9BbCBKYXppcmE=" inlink="topic::L3RoZW5hdGlvbmFsL09yZ2FuaXNhdGlvbnMvU3BvcnRzIHRlYW1zL1VBRSBmb290YmFsbCB0ZWFtcy9BbCBKYXppcmE=">Al Jazira</a></strong> have signed the Morocco international Abdelaziz Barrada from Spanish side Getafe.</span> <span>The Abu Dhabi club announced the deal on Twitter last night, saying: “Dear audience, an official contract has been completed with the player Abdelaziz Barrada, all the details will be announced at a press conference in the coming days.”</span> <span>The 22-year-old midfielder’s signing comes just a week after the club failed to land international teammate Younes Belhanda, who opted to join Ukraine outfit Dynamo Kiev instead.</span> Follow us