Matias Delgado has dismissed reports linking him with a move away from Al Jazira by insisting he is happy in Abu Dhabi and wants to help the club achieve success.
The attacking midfielder signed for Jazira in 2010 following the end of his contract at Besiktas, and recent reports have claimed another Turkish club, Kasimpasa, are interested in taking him back to the Super Lig.
However, Delgado has revealed that there is no truth to the speculation, whilst taking the time to state he is only focused on remaining at Jazira.
“Nobody has called me, I have in my head to finish my contract here,” the 30-year-old said. “That’s two more seasons (on my contract) and I really wish to stay. I’m very happy here and my family is happy here.”
He added: “I want to win a lot of titles and continue until my contract is finished.”
Jazira have endured an ultimately disappointing season, recovering from a shaky start to rise to second in the Pro League table, only to slip down to fourth; 16 points behind leaders Al Ain.
The recent slump has coincided with the arrival of head coach Luis Milla, who was appointed following the surprising dismissal of Paulo Bonamigo in February.
In the 10 games since the Spaniard took charge, Jazira have won just once although that victory did seal their place in the Etisalat Cup final. The Abu Dhabi club’s hopes of reaching the second round of the AFC Champions League also took a severe hit on Wednesday as they were held to a 1-1 home draw by El Jaish of Qatar that keeps them bottom of Group A with just two points from four games.
Jazira must win their remaining two games in Asia – at home to Tractor Tabriz and away against Al Shabab Riyadh – and hope that other results go their way to have any chance of reaching the round of 16.
Delgado echoed the comments of his manager, Milla, when he insisted the team would “fight until the end” to try and pull off what would be a remarkable turnaround.
There were signs in the game against Jaish though that the new coach is beginning to get his ideas across, as the team looked more resolute as they experimented with a new formation, using Shin Hyung-Min as a shield in front of the defence.
And Delgado revealed there was a more positive atmosphere in the dressing room after the game that he had seen in recent weeks.
“I feel that was better than other games,” the Argentine said of the mood in the squad. “The feeling of the team is that we played in the first half for 30 minutes well and in the second half for the last 30 minutes. We went home with a better feeling inside, better than the other games.”
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