DUBAI // Khamis Esmail, the UAE midfielder, has conceded Al Jazira's decision to sell him has come as a surprise, but he is now looking forward to repaying Al Ahli for their trust.
Esmail, 26, signed a three-year deal with the Dubai club on Monday night for an undisclosed fee to bring his five-year association with Jazira to an end.
Read more: UAE international Khamis Esmail leaves Al Jazira for Al Ahli
He had moved to Abu Dhabi from the Ras Al Khaimah-based Emirates in 2011 and had gone on to be of the most impressive defensive midfielders in the country.
A lateral ligament injury, however, has restricted him to just eight appearances in the Arabian Gulf League this season and, with Jazira looking to rebuild under Dutchman Henk ten Cate, the club have decided to cash in on the UAE international, who still had a season remaining on his contract.
“Everybody was surprised by the decision because I am supposed to be one of the key players in the team,” Esmail said Tuesday at a news conference to introduce him as an Ahli player.
“But I guess, they have plans for the future and so maybe this was the best decision for both Jazira and me. Anyway, these things happen in professional football.
“I stayed five years with Al Jazira and they were five beautiful years, where I experienced both the good and the bad with the team.
“Today is the start of a new chapter in my life at a very big club. It’s a new challenge for me and I hope to give my best to the club.
“Al Ahli did everything they could to bring me here, so I would like to repay them as best I can, starting with my first game. I hope I will not disappoint the management and the fans.”
Esmail, who has a history of knee injuries, is available to play immediately for his new club, but he knows finding a regular starting spot in the side, who reached the final of the Asian Champions League last year, will not be an easy task.
Esmail, however, did not seem too concerned and said: “When I moved to Al Jazira from Emirates club, they had a lot of superstars in the team and I was able to learn a lot from them. If there is no competition for places, you will not see any improvement.
“So yes, Al Ahli have a lot of good players and I am looking forward to being a part of this group. I will do everything I can to prove myself and to put the name of the club at the top.”
arizvi@thenational.ae
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