Al Ain are considering recalling Jires Kembo Ekoko from his loan spell in Qatar as the UAE champions seek to fill the void left by Michel Bastos.
The Frenchman, who scored 13 goals in his debut season last year, has spent the past few months at El Jaish, the side currently fourth in the Qatari Stars League.
Although he has not excelled at the Doha club – he has not scored in 13 appearances – Al Ain are keen to bring the player back to the Garden City now that Bastos’s transfer to Roma is complete.
Bastos moved to the Serie A side, initially on a six-month loan, with the option to make permanent the switch at the end of the season.
The decision to reintegrate Kembo Ekoko in the squad seems an obvious one, given the striker already knows the club and the Arabian Gulf League. However, it is unclear if Kembo Ekoko wishes to return.
Having signed in the 2012 summer transfer window from Rennes, he settled quickly into UAE football and was one of Al Ain’s main goal threats alongside Asamoah Gyan and Alex Brosque.
Should Kembo Ekoko come back, he will once again be deployed on the left side of an attacking triumvirate.
Positioned sixth in the league standings – Al Ain have won only six of 15 matches – the club board realise there is little time for a new foreign recruit to transition into the team.
Kembo Ekoko’s experience would be key to the early termination of the deal with El Jaish.
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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