Dubai: Bani Yas pulled off the biggest deals in the winter transfer window, which closed locally at midnight on Monday.
The acquisitions of Egyptian attacking midfielder Mohammad Aboutrika and Swedish winger Christian Wilhelmsson are the highest profile additions in a list of 19 changes to foreign playing staff across all 14 Etisalat Pro-League clubs.
Aboutrika, 34, joins on a six-month loan from Al Ahly of Cairo and is best known for his involvement in Egypt’s two African Cup of Nations wins in 2006 and 2008. Meanwhile, Wilhelmsson, 33, transfers from Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy on a one-and-a-half year deal, making this the 11th league he’s played in.
Egyptian striker Mohammad Zidan makes way for his compatriot Aboutrika, while Wilhelmsson replaces Moroccan defender Esmail Belmaalem.
Al Ahli also made headlines with the unveiling of Portuguese midfielder Ricardo Quaresma, 29, formerly of Barcelona, Porto, Inter Milan and Chelsea. He joins on an 18-month deal from Turkey’s Besiktas and replaces outgoing Cameroonian midfielder Achille Emana, who has gone on loan to Al Wasl for six months to cover for the injured Argentinian Mariano Donda.
Al Wasl have also released Australian defender Lucas Neill to bring in Iraqi defender Ahmad Ebrahim from Erbil SC on a six-month loan, while Egyptian midfielder Mahmoud Shikabala is dropped for Brazilian striker Jussie Ferreira Vieira, 29, who joins from French side Bordeaux.
Al Nasr, meanwhile, make one change, bringing in Japanese forward Takayuki Morimoto, 24, on a six-month loan from Italian Serie A club Catania. He replaces outgoing Iraqi midfielder Nashat Akram.
Elsewhere, Al Wahda released Omani defender Mohammad Shaiba for Australian defender Dino Dulbic, 29, who joins from Chinese side Guizhou Renhe.
Dubai Club signed Spanish defender Juan Quero, 28, of Rayo Vallecano and Brazilian striker Juliano Roberto Antonello, 33, of Ceara. They replace Guinean striker and defender Alhassan Keita and Simon Feindouno.
Al Shaab have gone for a double change in Portuguese attacking midfielder Filipe Teixeira, 32, formerly of Paris Saint Germain, West Bromwich Albion and Rapid Bucharest, as well as Zimbabwean defender Noel Kaseke, 32, from Greek side Alki Larnaca. Brazilian strikers Rodrigo Vergilio and Rodrigo Sousa Da Silva leave as a consequence.
Ajman snapped up Moroccan midfielder Driss Fetouhi, 23, from French club Istres and Omani midfielder Fawzi Bashir, 28, from Dhafra. Out go Moroccan midfielder Abdessamad Ouhakki and Iraqi winger Karrar Jassim.
Dhafra, meanwhile, have replaced Bashir with Rodrigo Sousa Da Silva from Al Shaab. Otherwise, Dibba Fujairah have secured the services of Lebanese defender Bilal Najjarine, 31, from Indian league Churchill Brothers, and Ghanaian midfielder Samuel Ocran, 26, of Egypt’s Al Ghouna. In the process, they have released Brazilian defender Aluisio Da Silva Neres Junior and Syrian midfielder Abdul Razak Al Hussain.
Finally, Ittihad Kalba have brought in Zimbabwean striker Edward Sadomba, 29, from Al Ahly Cairo and Brazilian midfielder Junior Felicio Marques, 25, from Hungary’s Gyori ETO, as replacements for Moroccan strikers Nabil Daoudi and Ahmad Jahouh.
