Al Ahly adjust winter transfer plans after Yazan Al Naemat injury

An official source at Egyptian giants Al Ahly revealed that the serious knee injury suffered by Jordan striker Yazan Al Naemat will not dramatically change the club’s roadmap for the winter transfer window.

Al Naemat suffered a cruciate ligament tear during Jordan’s 1-0 win over Iraq in the Arab Cup quarterfinals, an injury that ended his season just as he was being strongly linked with a January move to Cairo.​

The source explained to Kooora that Al Naemat was indeed on the club’s initial list of potential signings, but stressed he was never the first-choice centre forward. In the words of the official, “Yazan is a special player, but he mainly plays on the wings or as a false nine, while Jes Thorup asked specifically for an out-and-out striker.”​

With foreign-player slots limited, Al Ahly’s board is handling recruitment “very sensitively,” focusing on two main priorities: a foreign striker and a foreign left-back, while strengthening other positions with under-23 signings. According to the source, Raja Casablanca’s Youcef Belaamri is currently the leading candidate for the left-back role, and the club is also targeting a young foreign centre-back and defensive midfielder under the age limit