AL AIN // Asamoah Gyan says he does not expect to leave Al Ain this month for a club in England’s Premier League, although he did reveal plans to assess his position after the summer World Cup.
The Ghanaian has offers from a collection of sides in the English top flight, chief among those West Ham United, with the Londoners having contacted Al Ain in December about the possibility of a six-month loan deal. Stoke City were also thought to be interested.
Gyan remains an attractive option despite a modest season with Sunderland in 2010, as he has been UAE football’s most prolific striker since he joined Al Ain three summers ago. Initially on loan, Gyan scored an unparalleled 22 league goals in his first season to help the Garden City club capture the title.
He then signed a four-year contract, before finishing the 2012/13 campaign with another Golden Boot and a second successive league trophy. In all, Gyan managed 31 goals in 26 matches to become the first player to reach the 30-goal mark in a single season.
This term, he has found the net 16 times in 16 rounds, yet Al Ain have struggled domestically and are currently seventh in the Arabian Gulf League. Gyan will hope he can fire the champions in the latter part of this term, before attention turns to the World Cup in Brazil, where he will continue in his role as Ghana captain.
“There are a lot of offers, but I don’t really know,” Gyan said. “I have to finish with the World Cup in the summer and I’ll see whether I’m staying at Al Ain or not. But I’m still happy here.”
Asked if he envisaged moving before the transfer window closes next week, Gyan replied: “I don’t think so. I don’t want to move in January. I just want to concentrate on the club. We’re in a bad situation at the moment and one of the important players cannot move just like that. It’s not a good thing.
“I’m not even thinking about leaving. I want to achieve something big here, and we’ll just sit down and see what happens. Definitely, if you’re doing well you’ll be attractive to teams, and teams are coming forward right now. But I’m still focused on Al Ain and we’re sure we can overcome this situation.”
Al Ain’s season could well depend on Gyan’s return to form. The forward has been uncharacteristically wayward these past few weeks, and has failed to find the net in any of his past three league appearances.
He disappointed again in Friday’s home draw with Al Dhafra, missing a couple of straightforward chances to seal a vital victory for his team. Gyan, though, has vowed to quickly rediscover his touch in front of goal.
“This is the third game in the league I haven’t scored, which since I came here has never happened to me,” he said. “Sometimes I feel frustrated, but I have to be mentality strong, keep on fighting and I should eventually break the deadlock.
“It’s unusual for me, personally, but it happens to strikers. There are times that are very difficult for strikers and I’m in that situation at the moment. I’ve been there before; what I have to do is to keep fighting and make sure I get back to my normal scoring form.”
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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