Power has been reasserted by both Al Ahli and the Arabian Gulf League as they look set to splash out a record €17 million (Dh69.8m) fee on forward Moussa Sow.
The impending deal with Fenerbahce for the 29-year-old Senegal international shows UAE football at its ambitious best. A 2015-16 title race for the ages now seems certain.
Al Jazira’s impressive work in the summer market being more than matched by a Red Knights outfit determined to crash through previous national benchmarks set for Asamoah Gyan and Ricardo Oliveira as they race to reclaim domestic supremacy.
In one fell swoop it also casts aside the doom and gloom caused by the former’s defection to the Chinese Super League last month from champions Al Ain.
The narrative as the Ghana striker departed for Shanghai SIPG last month was negative. With him went the best foreign footballer to grace the UAE, moving for a wedge of money to the east of Asia. The deal threatened to overshadow another impressive summer of transfer dealing across the AGL, China now seemingly the booming league on the continent.
This perspective can be questioned when Sow – the 2010-11 Ligue 1 top scorer at Lille and latterly leading performer in Turkey – seals his breathtaking transfer before Monday.
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The depth of talent in the domestic game is the envy of any Asian competition. Key performers can be found throughout. From Ahli’s Copa America playmaker Everton Ribeiro, three-time Serie A champion Mirko Vucinic at Al Jazira and Al Wahda beating several clubs to maestro Jorge Valdivia after his influential role during Chile’s Copa America success.
Look even deeper and you see Bani Yas possessing Australia defensive midfielder Mark Milligan, Al Wasl boasting the presence of Portugal metronome Hugo Viana for another season, Sharjah snapping up Brazilian playmaker Maicosuel and even newly-promoted Al Shaab recruiting Egypt international midfielder Amr Al Sulaya.
This is all even before you start counting the incredible domestic stars which carried the UAE to third place in January’s Asian Cup, led by tournament top scorer Ali Makbhout and imitable superstar playmaker Omar Abdulrahman.
With 17 million Euro Moussa Sow is the most expensive transfer in Turkey ever. We wish him the best of luck at Al-Ahli!
— Fener Int (@fenerint) August 27, 2015
All these ingredients will combine for an absorbing contest until next May for the AGL, Arabian Gulf Cup and President’s Cup. It is the battle at the top which this move makes the most resonance. Ahli have refused to be cowed by last term’s dismal title defence and seventh-placed finish.
An attack which features Ismail Al Hammadi, winter recruit Ribeiro, Sow and fellow summer buy Lima is incredible. That Jazira can rightly feel they match it with Jefferson Farfan, Thiago Neves, Mabkhout and Vucinic is all the more mouthwatering.
Holders Al Ain add further to this heady mixture, Gyan’s replacement Emmanuel Emenike showing his class with a brace on debut during the 4-2 Arabian Gulf Super Cup-victory against everimproving Al Nasr.
All this means big money will equal big thrills in Asia’s premier club division during the campaign to come.
