The Morocco playmaker was officially unveiled on Monday at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium following his free transfer in July after his contract with Lokomotiv Moscow expired.
The 32-year-old was part of the President’s Cup winners squad that travelled to Netherlands and Germany for a pre-season camp and has already been impressed with former Chelsea and Barcelona assistant Ten Cate.
“I didn’t know Ten Cate too well before I came over but I had a very good conversation and he told me what he expects of me,” said Boussoufa, who scored in Jazira’s 4-3 friendly win over Bahrain’s East Riffa earlier this month.
“I’m happy with him as the coach. He’s well known for working with big players in Europe and has a very good reputation and knows football very well. I’m glad I’m working with someone who has won a lot so and for me that’s exciting. I’m here to play in the position that he wants me to play in and I will try to fulfill my role in a good way.”
The former Anderlecht and Anzhi Makhachkala player, who has inked a two-year deal, revealed the Pride of Abu Dhabi had been chasing his signature for almost a year and insists it wasn’t a hard choice to move to the UAE after speaking to ex-Jazira midfielders Jucilei and compatriot Abdelaziz Barrada.
“I’ve been following the football in the UAE for some time because they contacted me earlier and wanted me to come and play,” he said. “I played with Jucilei (at Anzhi) and Barrada in the national team and they told me about the great things of the club. I also now have the knowledge of what type of football they play here.”
@AlJazira_uae signing Boussoufa unveiled in #AbuDhabi , excited to work under Henk Ten Cate @Sport360 pic.twitter.com/J4uvhNzVxm
— Denzil M Pinto (@denz_360) August 29, 2016
The summer arrival is one of four new signings in Ten Cate’s squad as they look to mount a serious title assault in the Arabian Gulf League (AGL) following a disappointing seventh-place finish last term.
They open their domestic season against champions Al Wahda in the Arabian Gulf Cup on Saturday, before hosting Al Wasl in the first AGL game of the season on September 17.
The Netherlands-born midfielder believes his team possess enough talent to cause opponents problems but feels playing as an attacker would get the best out of him.
He said: “I’m looking forward to working with all the players.
“Ali Mabkhout is still with the national team (for the World Cup qualifiers) but I’ve begun to know the other players really well.
“I’m here to give my best and do the best for our club and help the club. My best position is No10 as an attacking midfielder but can play on either side.
“It’s a very ambitious club and after what happened in the last year, the club want to do better and I’m here to help to them,” he said.
“It’s a good feeling to be here and having played in different countries, this is a very good adventure for me.”
