Dubai Al Jazira Club officially confirmed the signing of 27-year-old Argentinean playmaker Matias Emilio Delgado last night from Turkish Super League outfit Besiktas on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee. He was unveiled at a club conference in Abu Dhabi yesterday at 9pm.
Delgado joins Al Jazira's other foreign stars Ibrahim Diaky (Ivory Coast), Jader Volnei Spindler aka ‘Bare' (Brazil) and Antonin Koutouan or ‘Toni' (Ivory Coast). Al Jazira have bypassed their three foreign player allowance because Diaky holds a UAE passport.
Al Jazira's CEO Phil Anderton spoke exclusively to Gulf News, "Delgado is a very successful and accomplished player who's played at the highest level with Besiktas. He's had a phenomenal goal-scoring record in the past and is still young and very fit, we got him in for a medical and he passed with flying colours."
Delgado who has also previously played for Basel and Chacharita juniors after starting as a youth with River Plate will not feature in Al Jazira's opening game against Al Nasr at home on Friday night at 10pm.
Coach Adel Braga said, "We will not risk pushing him with the other players so fast since that what we know is what his previous coach Ziko told us. We will watch him so closely until he is in complete harmony with the other players in the team."
Anderton said of the Al Nasr encounter, "It will be an interesting game with a lot of nerves in the heat and humidity but the manager is full of confidence with his new signings."
Having finished second or third consistently since 2002, Jazira now look to take the title. Anderton added, "It's number one or no one."
Felipe Reinaldo da Silva has meanwhile joined Al Nasr club as their third foreigner, it confirms the fate of Moroccan Anwar Dibba who's been dumped in the Blue Waves' reserves. Carlos Tenorio (Ecuador) and Leo Lima (Brazil) are Al Nasr's other two foreigners.