Dubai: Cosmin Olaroiu is hoping the recent signings will help Al Ahli resurrect their campaign when the Arabian Gulf League (AGL) re-starts on Wednesday following a lengthy break.

Olaroiu was granted a short break by Al Ahli to assist Saudi Arabia during their recent campaign at the AFC Asian Cup that was eventually won by hosts Australia.

With the AGL defending champions lying in sixth position, with 20 points after 13 rounds, there was talk that the 45-year-old Romanian may make his move to Saudi Arabia permanent.

Olaroiu, however, has taken charge at the Red Knights again with his first test coming up against Sharjah in the 14th round of the AGL on Wednesday.

“Nothing has changed for me or the team since we started this season. We had eight players with the national team [that returned with the third place at the Asian Cup] and a few more returning from Olympic team duty. So, for the moment, I need to see if we can get a proper playing eleven who can go out there and fetch us full points against Sharjah,” Olaroiu told media on Monday.

During his absence, Al Ahli have made two high-profile signings: Morocco’s Oussama Assaidi from Premier League giants Liverpool and Cruzeiro star midfielder Everton Ribeiro who has three international caps for Brazil so far. “So far I had the chance to see one of them [Assaidi] and he is quite skillful and I believe he can be a good addition to the team. The other [Ribeiro] has just come in and I am yet to see what he is capable of,” he said.

However, the Romanian’s worries may now be further compounded with the departure of central defender Basheer Saeed to Al Jazira and their Brazilian striker Grafite who signed for Qatar’s Al Sadd before the end of the winter transfer window closure on January 12.

“We have a few days to try and rectify that situation and I am sure we will have some sort of solution there,” Olaroiu promised.

“One of our main goals is to improve this team, so no one should be surprised if there are a few more changes in the team set-up within the next few days. We are a club that is full of surprises any way,” he added.

“Until now, I don’t know anything on how we will play and what we will play with against Sharjah. The next 48 hours are important to put things back in place and the main thing will be to concentrate on the players we have.”