Cosmin Olaroiu says he cannot guarantee either his or star playmaker Everton Ribeiro’s future beyond the end of the season.
Al Ahli extended the Arabian Gulf League title race into another round of fixtures after brilliant Brazilian Ribeiro’s late goal in a 2-1 win at Al Wahda on Saturday, although Olaroiu is resigned to losing the AGL title with the Pride of Abu Dhabi requiring just one more point from their remaining three games.
The Red Knights claimed the Arabian Gulf Cup title a few weeks ago, but they have been second best to Jazira in the league, while they were beaten by Olaroiu’s old team Al Ain in the President’s Cup quarter-finals.
And even though the Romanian is under contract at Rashid Stadium for another year, Olaroiu is unsure as to whether the powers that be at the club will want to keep him around if they deem themselves unsatisfied with the 2016/17 campaign.
“It is a question I cannot answer in this moment,” Olaroiu answered when asked about his future after the Wahda game.
“I still have a contract with Al Ahli for one more year, but anything can happen. Maybe they (the club) are not satisfied with my performance and they kick me out. This is the life of the coach. I cannot tell you what will happen after one month.”
Olaroiu hinted brilliant Brazilian Everton Ribeiro could be off
Ribeiro’s future is also something that has been up for debate in recent weeks, after Olaroiu admitted earlier this month an offer had been received for the 28-year-old – who has 16 goals and 16 assists in 57 AGL games since his February 2015 arrival from Cruzeiro.
And Olaroiu seemed to suggest that Ribeiro would be allowed to leave the club, but only if a suitable replacement is found.
“If somebody’s not happy where he is or has an offer to be in a better place it’s better to let them go and we’ll see if we have options to replace,” he said.
“Always we have to see what we can bring to release a player like Ribeiro. It is too early to talk about this but in any circumstance every time the player comes, the player goes, or the coach comes, the coach goes.”
