Returning coach Abel Braga’s remodelling of Al Jazira has continued after South Korea defensive midfielder Park Jong-woo was brought in to fill the club’s Asian-player slot.
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Park, 26, completed medical tests prior to a three-year deal being announced yesterday to move from mid-table Chinese Super League team Guangzhou R&F.
The 13-times-capped Taegeuk Warrior replaces Brazilian-Palestinian Jucilei, who was sold to fellow CSL side Shandong Luneng last week after one-and-a-half underwhelming seasons at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium.
OFFICIAL: Korean midfielder Park Jong-Woo (26) has left Guangzhou R&F to join UAE club Al-Jazira.
— TransferMarkt China (@asaikana) July 6, 2015
“The player will be unveiled to the media at a news conference at a later date,” a Jazira statement said.
Park joined the Blue Lions in February 2014 from Busan IPark, going on to score once in 34 league appearances. He was a member of the South Korea squad which won bronze at the 2012 London Olympics, but has featured sporadically since being an ununsed member of the 2014 FIFA World Cup selection.
Jazira will hope he has a similar impact to compatriots and fellow anchormen Lee Myung-joo and Kwon-Kyung-won, who excelled for Al Ain and Al Ahli last season.
The Yonsei University starlet joins Brazil playmaker Thiago Neves from Al Hilal and centre-back Fares Juma from the Boss as Braga makes his mark on the club he is back at following a previous golden spell between 2008 and 2011. Al Wahda full-back Mubarak Al Mansoor is also expected to join up in the coming days.
Park will be tasked with providing a firmer screen in front of the Pride of Abu Dhabi’s suspect rear- guard. Last season’s second-placed Arabian Gulf League finishers conceded 46 times, the third-highest amount.
This undermined Belgian boss Eric Gerets and led to the decision to reinstall Braga, who signed off four years ago with the top-flight and President’s Cup double.
The capital outfit will now intensify their push for the final non-Emirati spot in the four-man foreign quota left vacant after a deal for Roma’s Ivory Coast winger Gervinho fell through.
Mirko Vucinic is the only foreigner retained from last term’s list, the Montenegro striker enjoying an incredible debut campaign featur- ing a leading 25 AGL goals.
Meanwhile, giant striker Michiel Kramer arrived in Abu Dhabi on Monday to put the final touches to a move from Dutch side ADO Den Haag to Bani Yas.
Kramer, 26, had a medical to pass before a three-year deal could be confirmed for a reported €1.5 million (Dh6.1m). The NAC Breda youth product was targeted by the Sky Blues after a stellar 2014/15 Eredivise campaign which saw him become the joint third-highest scorer with 17 goals.
Australia midfielder Mark Milligan has already been impressively signed up by Luis Garcia’s men as they target an improvement on last term’s eighth-placed finish.
