Al Nasr refuse to let prized Emirati player Habib Fardan go to another team

Al Nasr say they have received interest letters from other Arabian Gulf League teams but they want to retain the services of last year's standout Emirati player, reports John McAuley.

Al Nasr have said they are determined to retain Habib Fardan, right, their prized Emirati, despite transfer speculation. Ashraf Umrah / Al Ittihad

DUBAI // Al Nasr have said they are determined to retain Habib Fardan, their prized Emirati, despite speculation again linking him with a big-money transfer to Al Jazira.

Jazira, who had an offer rejected for the UAE international this summer, are reportedly prepared to pay up to Dh41 million, although the Abu Dhabi side have yet to confirm a second bid was made.

Fardan, 23, has played for Nasr since 2009 and last season was the club’s standout player as they finished in fifth place in the Arabian Gulf League. Making 25 league appearances, sometimes as captain, he scored nine goals to conclude the campaign as the division’s most prolific Emirati.

Fardan’s current contract expires next summer, with Nasr previously stating they plan to renew the deal. They are not surprised he has attracted interest from within the country.

“It is normal that clubs want to sign a player like Habib, the best player we have, but he has one year left on his contract,” Nasr team manager Khaled Obaid said. “Clubs have sent letters saying they want Habib, but we will not let him go just because one letter arrives through email or fax.

“Selling Habib would not be good for the club; for a player of Habib’s quality to leave. Regarding all the offers, we are happy we have a player that most of the other teams want.

“It is really good for Nasr to have someone like this, but we are not going to let Habib go just because of an email or a letter.”

Whether or not Nasr would remain as resolute in the face of another significantly increased bid remains to be seen. Fardan is said to be content at the club he joined five years ago from Al Wasl, and Nasr are hopeful he will form a strong attack next season alongside Brett Holman, Ibrahima Toure and Ivan Trickovski, the new signing from Belgium’s Club Brugge.

“Habib is happy here, for sure,” Obaid said. “You see what he did last year for the club. He is really happy and we are really happy with him.”

Nasr have been one of the most active this summer in the local transfer market, recruiting five Emiratis. The acquisition of Abdulla Qasem from Jazira is perhaps the most notable, with the versatile midfielder’s CV already including a UAE championship, a President’s Cup trophy and a League Cup crown.

It had been suggested Qasem’s transfer could be used to help facilitate the Fardan deal, but Nasr denied the two are connected. For now, they are concentrating on bolstering their foreign ranks, with Leo Lima, the Brazilian midfielder, expected to depart Al Maktoum Stadium.

“We now have enough local players,” Obaid said. “We bought Abdulla Qasem and are very happy with this signing. He is a really good player, who can help us a lot in midfield. He can also be used in different positions, offensively and defensively. He has options to play as a right-back, as a winger, even as a second striker. He is a strong signing.”

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