Dubai: When a midfield player scores as many as your three main forwards, you know you need to splash the cash up front — and that's exactly why Al Ahli's appointment of Brazilian striker Grafite from Wolfsburg this week may be just the ticket.
Al Ahli's top-scorer, midfielder Pinga, scored 11 last season, the same amount as strikers Ahmad Khalil (5), Faisal Khalil (4) and Aristide Bance (2) did put together.
In terms of goals scored Al Ahli (30) were the second lowest in the league behind relegated Al Dhafra (27). "We didn't score enough, it's as simple as that.
Highest for chances
"We know we were low in the table for goals scored but we were probably highest in the league for chances created. Grafite brings exactly what we need — goals," Al Ahli keeper coach Tony Cotton told Gulf News.
Aristide Bance was a critical failure for the club — ousted early out on loan to Qatar's Um Salal in January having come in the summer from FSV Mainz 05 highly rated (25 goals from 62 performances). He left in order to bring in Karim Al Ahmadi from Feyenoord as midfield was deemed a position in need of strengthening.
Failed
Brothers Ahmad and Faisal Khalil up front were seen as more than competent to juggle striking duties alone. But in the second half of the season Al Ahli scored just 13 to the first half of the season's 17.
Both players were highly relied upon for the UAE national team in a goal-scoring capacity at January's Asian Cup also, but both failed dismally as the only chances the team scored were own goals.
National coach Srecko Katanec had blamed too many foreigners in up front positions in the League accounting for the lack of chances for UAE nationals. But in the case of the Khalils, Al Ahli had more than given them their opportunity to shine and were arguably one of the only clubs to have done so.
75 goals in 130 appearances
At Dh15.65 million, Grafite comes with a record of 75 goals in 130 appearances at Wolfsburg, where he was the 2009 Bundesliga Player of the Year. He'll not only underline the inadequacies of those he replaces up front - but add a nail to the coffin of reliance upon local strikers.
Al Ahli's local experiment ended in failure and Katanec's opinion to field more local strikers is since forgotten. In answer to what went wrong Ahmad Shah, Al Ahli team manager said: "If you look at other clubs they go with two or sometimes three foreign strikers. Only Al Ahli went with one."
