Olaroiu staying quiet over Al Ahli pursuit of Moussa Sow

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    Al Ahli boss Cosmin Olaroiu declined to discuss the club’s landmark pursuit of Fenerbahce forward Moussa Sow on Sunday.

    The Turkish giants released a statement on Friday which said they had accepted an Arabian Gulf League-record €17million (Dh70m) package to bring the Senegal international to the Rashid Stadium.

    The Red Knights have refused to comment on the matter since and their Romanian boss kept up this stance in his pre-match conference ahead of tonight’s Arabian Gulf Cup opener against Emirates Club (19:20 start).

    “I am not talking about the transfer section,” the Romanian said, while shrugging his shoulders. “I work only with the team and the players I have.”

    Sow is expected to finalise his move on Monday after spending the weekend in Dubai undergoing a medical. This will see him complete a fearsome four-player foreign quartet which features Brazil playmaker Everton Ribeiro, South Korean defensive midfielder Kwon Kyung-won and Brazilian striker and fellow summer arrival Lima.

    Ahli head into their imminent home match boosted by their midweek 1-0 AFC Champions League, first-leg triumph at Naft Tehran but with a severely-depleted squad because of international commitments.

    With the club’s brightest local talents included in the list of 10 players unavailable, Olaroiu has been left to select from a threadbare squad.

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    He said: “This is not the best competition for us because we are missing 10 players through national team duty. Other teams don’t have this many players in the national teams, so will not be as affected.

    “Despite this, we will treat this competition as seriously as we can. It’s an opportunity for other players and youngsters to show they can become main team players – we will try our best to prepare for this game.

    “Emirates were good last season and only lost their Arabian Gulf League opener this season (narrowly) 2-1 away to Al Nasr, so we have to treat this game seriously.”

    One player who could enjoy an emotional return to duty in the Group A-clash is Brazilian forward Ciel. The 33-year-old has not played competitively since he suffered an awful double ankle fracture in the club’s opening 2014/15 Arabian Gulf League fixture against Sharjah last September.

    The ex-Al Shabab player is unwanted this term, Sow’s impending purchase pushing him further out of the reckoning. But as Oussama Assaidi is with Morocco, a rare opportunity has opened up for him.

    “He needs a little bit more confidence with his leg,” Olaroiu said. 

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