AL AIN // Al Ain board member, Mohammed Obeid Hamdoun, says he felt imminent departures Emmanuel Emenike and Ryan Babel were never fully committed to the club.
The foreign pair, signed in the summer, are close to leaving the UAE champions in this transfer window, with Emenike expected to return to parent club Fenerbahce and Babel also set to go back to Turkey.
Neither has been a success at Al Ain, even despite Emenike scoring nine goals in 15 appearances. Babel, meanwhile, has had disciplinary issues with the club’s hierarchy regarding his use of social media. The former Liverpool and Ajax forward, recruited in July on a two-year deal from Kasimpasa, has two goals in 14 appearances.
The duo’s poor form prompted Al Ain to seek replacements, with Colombian winger Danilo Asprilla, 27, and Brazilian striker Douglas, 28, joining this past week.
[ New Al Ain signing Douglas sets out targets: ‘Win one more title and win all the games’ ]
Speaking about the futures of Emenike and Babel, Hamdoun said: “I think Babel will go back to Turkey to play with Fenerbahce. And Emmanuel, we have one team from China interested and Fenerbahce want to take him back. I think he’ll go back to them and Babel might as well.
“This is normal in football. Sometimes big name and big players come and don’t do anything here. This can happen in any team. Sometimes you bring one big name and he doesn’t want to play — that’s my opinion on Babel and Emenike, I think they didn’t want to play here.
“I saw Emenike in the World Cup and the African Cup of Nations with Nigeria and he was a good player. But when he came here he scored only seven [league] goals, with the local players we have here? Enough.”
Al Ain coach Zlatko Dalic referenced Babel and Emenike on Tuesday, when he welcomed Douglas to the club. He also praised the Al Ain board for their support in his month’s transfer window, who have strengthened the squad even though the Garden City side currently lead the Arabian Gulf League by three points after 14 rounds.
“I want to say thank you to Emenike and Babel for the last six months with us,” Dalic said. “I wish them all the best next season at a new club. This is football, this is life. Also, we did everything that our fans wanted of us. I hope to make them happy.
“We’ve had a great half season. I’m sure we’ve had great transfer window and did everything our fans expected of us.”
[ jmcauley@thenational.ae ]
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