DUBAI // Al Ahli have added to their squad with the signing of Nawaf Mubarak from Baniyas.
The highly-rated Emirati, 32, agreed to a two-year deal with the Arabian Gulf League champions late Saturday and will meet up with his new teammates at their training camp in Italy by Tuesday at the latest.
A goal-scoring midfielder, Mubarak has been one of Baniyas’ standout performers for the past few seasons. The 2012/13 term was his most prolific campaign, when he found the net 10 times in 21 league matches. In all, Mubarak has 22 goals in 116 top-flight games.
His experience will also be key, especially as Ahli fight on four fronts next season. In addition to their league defence, the Rashid Stadium side will look to retain the League Cup, while going one better than their runner-up finish in the 2014 President’s Cup. The Asian Champions League forms a primary focus, too, as Ahli attempt to improve on this year’s disappointing group-stage exit.
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Mubarak, a set-piece specialist, will bolster an already-strong Emirati roster at Ahli, which currently includes six national team players. The club currently boast a formidable foreign contingent as well, with six players vying for four spots.
Mirel Radoi, the Romanian midfielder, transferred from Al Ain earlier this summer, swelling an expatriate ensemble that includes Grafite, Ciel, Luis Jimenez, Hugo Viana and Humam Tariq. Although Ahli insist they are yet to determine which player will depart, Viana is expected to be deemed surplus to requirements.
As part of the Mubarak deal, Baniyas have taken Mohammed Darwish, the UAE Olympic team midfielder, in part-exchange. Darwish, 21, has made a solitary league appearance for Ahli, in the 2012/13 season, although he has featured regularly in the Dubai side’s past two League Cup campaigns.
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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