Dubai: Al Ahli coach Cosmin Olaroiu would not be drawn on whether new big-money signing Moussa Sow will make his debut for the club in Saturday’s Arabian Gulf Cup match away to Al Shaab.
The Red Knights snapped up the Senegalese striker from Turkey’s Fenerbahce last week, but Olaroiu insisted he wouldn’t risk the 29-year-old French-born star until he was sure he was ready.
Al Ahli have made a flying start to the new season, winning their Arabian Gulf League opener 8-1 against Fujairah, earning a crucial 1-0 advantage over Naft Tehran in their AFC Champions League quarter-final first leg and beginning their domestic cup campaign with a 2-0 victory over Emirates.
Now they go to Al Shaab missing a full-strength team due to international duty, but Olaroiu will still only take a late call on Sow’s involvement.
“It can help if Moussa would play, but I will not force him. I will have a chat with him and see how he feels about it,” Olaroiu told media on Thursday.
“For me, it is better if he plays. I will talk to him. He is a new player and he needs to have an idea of what is happening here. I will find a solution only after I speak with him and we will take a decision together. If he feels good about playing, then we will play him.”
Of Saturday’s game, the Romanian coach added: “By no way will our game against Al Shaab be easy. I watched them play against Al Wasl [in a 2-0 defeat last week] and for sure they can create problems for anyone with their attack.
“This is a crucial time for us as a team. We are less than two weeks away from our home match against Naft [on September 16] and we have lost 11 of our players to the UAE national team for the World Cup qualifiers. We don’t have the full squad and yet we hope to play a good game and keep the winning momentum going that will help us keep a high spirit and motivation before the Champions League match.”
