This ‘Dracula’ could be a hit at Al Wasl

Andy Mitten believes journeyman Emmanuel Culio will likely create an impact at the Dubai-based Arabian Gulf League club like Argentine did with other sides.

Emmanuel Culio showed commitment and versatility in his first game for Al Wasl – against Al Ain on Monday, writes our columnist. Christopher Pike / The National

Deportivo La Coruna fans were not happy when Emmanuel Culio failed to show for training. The Argentine playmaker, 30, was absent without his club’s permission after playing in their game at Real Jaen on January 5, though his club suspected why.

They had received an offer for him, reported as €300,000 (Dh1.5 million), from Al Wasl. Deportivo had signed Culio for free in July and he had performed well for the side, who have risen to the top of Spain’s second division after last season’s relegation.

“I don’t know exactly what the situation is, but we’ll miss him, he’s an important player,” said the team’s captain Manuel Pablo, a star of the“Super Depor” teams that had great success around the turn of the century.

While fans bemoaned Culio’s lack of professionalism, the former Galatasaray and Cluj player could easily have levelled the same accusation at the Spanish club who had given him a one-year contract. Like the rest of the players at La Coruna, which has just 18 professional players, he did not always receive his wages on time, if at all, from the debt-ridden Galician club.

Deportivo may have found a winning formula this term, but they are threatened with liquidation. There are better clubs for players to be at, so it is understandable why Culio was tempted by the offer, especially as he would be reunited with his former manager Hector Cuper.

At Depor, Culio started on the left of midfield but was moved to a more central role as his influence in the team increased. Depor fans have seen better midfielders, but they have also seen better times. They grew to like their new signing and, like Manuel Pablo, considered him a pillar of their team.

Culio was the tough-tackling, vocal playmaker who retained the ball well. He was committed and versatile and that showed in his debut in the President’s Cup on Monday where he engaged Al Ain’s Omar Abdulrahman in a game-long ­battle.

“Typical Argentine player,” said Juan Cudeiro, a Spanish sports journalist. “He always has a word for everyone, his teammates, opponents and the referee. He’s a very determined player.”

Culio took corners and free kicks. In October, he scored the only goal as Depor beat Barcelona B away at the Mini Estadi next to Camp Nou, one of his two league goals so far this season. The other was another match-winner, at Ponferrandina.

Culio moved to La Coruna after spending last season on loan at Mesin Idmanyurdu who were relegated from Turkey’s Super Lig.

He had been there on loan from Galatasaray, with whom he signed in 2011 for a reported €2m. He had been in Istanbul for only a month before he was loaned to Orduspor, another top-flight club, where he played under Cuper, for a fee of €350,000. He did manage 15 games back at Galatasaray and was popular with fans.

Before his spell in Turkey, Culio played at CFR Cluj, Romania’s wealthiest team. He spent four successful seasons there and was part of the team who won the league for the first time in 2007. A key player, Culio was nicknamed “Dracula” by their admiring fans and scored twice as Cluj beat Roma in their first Champions League match, in 2008, an unexpected result that saw the club and Culio gain a higher profile. He was a league champion again with Cluj in 2010.

Gheorghe Hagi, Romania’s greatest player, was sufficiently impressed to take him to Galatasaray where he was coach, but standards were higher in Istanbul and Culio was twice loaned out.

Culio has played for many clubs, but made a positive impression at all. Al Wasl hope he will do the same in Dubai.