UAE Pro League season preview: Paulo Sousa’s Shabab Al Ahli the team to catch

Saudi Arabia might be grabbing most of the transfer limelight but there have been some intriguing arrivals in the Emirates

Shabab Al Ahli won the President’s Cup after defeating Sharjah 2-1 in the final at Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Wam

The domestic league season will get under way amid challenging temperatures this weekend when the UAE Pro League returns.

The rest of the field have been working in the summer to find a way to bridge the gap to Shabab Al Ahli, who won the league by a massive 12-point margin last term.

Sousa sets the standard

Paulo Sousa has packed a lot into his management career. Since getting his first senior team job with Queens Park Rangers in 2008, the former Portugal midfielder has coached 13 different teams in 10 different countries.

The longest stint he has had anywhere has been the two years he spent at Fiorentina between 2015 and 2017.

As such, it would have been no surprise if he had signed off straight after one glorious season in the UAE.

President Sheikh Mohamed with members of the Shabab Al Ahli team. Photo: UAE Presidential Court

Instead, he is still in situ at Shabab Al Ahli, where he is looking to reprise one of the most successful seasons ever in the country.

Fuelled by the excellence of Iran forward Sardar Azmoun, the Dubai-based club won a league and cup double, and only lost out in the final of another domestic cup.

Repeating that success will be tough, as recent history shows.

Milojevic’s move

Shabab Al Ahli’s league and President’s Cup double was fantastic, but not exactly unprecedented: their Dubai rivals, Al Wasl, had done exactly that the previous season.

Milos Milojevic became the darling of the Ultras Junoon, Wasl’s supporters, in coaching them to that success.

The Serbian coach found the going tougher second time round as they tried to defend their titles. They were some way off the standards set the previous season, but they did at least reach the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League for the first time.

That was enough for Milojevic, though. Having said he was ready for a move – while flippantly expressing his desire to manage Real Madrid one day – he made the short switch to Sharjah.

He has big boots to fill. The role was vacated by Cosmin Olaroiu, who is now the UAE national team coach, having led them to the AFC Champions League Two title before signing off.

Britons abroad

Mackenzie Hunt was conspicuous by his absence in the first UAE squad named by Olaroiu back at the start of June.

The Liverpool-born, Dubai-raised player had been a fixture in the national team squads of Olaroiu's predecessor, Paulo Bento, until he was jettisoned as manager.

Mackenzie Hunt made his UAE debut in their 3-1 win over Qatar in Doha on September 5, 2024. Photo: UAE Football National Team

Playing down the leagues in the UK with Fleetwood Town meant Hunt could be out of sight, out of mind, and therefore easy to be overlooked.

He has shown his desire to battle for a place in the national team, though, having made a summer switch to the Pro League. The former Dubai English Speaking School pupil has joined Baniyas.

He is not the only English-origin player at the Abu Dhabi-based club, who are looking to improve on their 12th-placed finish – one above relegation – last season.

Brad Young, a striker who is a product of Aston Villa, has also arrived from Saudi Arabian club Al Oroboh.

Transfer merry-go-round

Fair to say, UAE football is not where the majority of attention is trained when it comes to Middle East transfer business.

The Saudi Pro League continues to dominate, and not just the region. Even at the top European clubs, whenever any major name is eyeing a transfer, their agents often insinuate a Saudi Arabian club into the conversation, just to up the rate.

Even newcomers to the big time, like Al Qadsiah and Neom, have spent around $100 million in transfer fees alone this summer.

While the likes of Darwin Nunez and Joao Felix have arrived in Riyadh over the summer, with Kingsley Coman potentially next, UAE clubs have had to be more creative.

Al Jazira have spent the most, in bringing in Willyan Rocha from Russia and Igor Serrote from Brazil, but their Abu Dhabi rivals Al Wahda have made perhaps the most intriguing purchase.

They have landed Dusan Tadic, the Serbian playmaker who excelled at Southampton, Ajax and, most recently, Fenerbahce.

Al Ain need a spark

The fact Al Ain are not the first name in the conversation about title challengers feels remarkable.

The Garden City club are the most successful in UAE football history. They won the AFC Champions League 14 months ago. And they represented the country at the revamped Club World Cup in the United States this summer.

Unfortunately, all the latter did was show up their failings. They were whacked 5-0 by a Juventus side who had just been to the White House to meet President Trump, then 6-0 by Manchester City.

Maybe the results were understandable given the standard of opposition. But Al Ain’s problems have been deep seated for some time, and they have their work cut out to turn it around.

That being said, they still have an enviable squad, with match-winners everywhere, so it would be foolhardy to count them out.