Wednesday, Jun 12, 2013
Abu Dhabi: Al Wahda club have agreed a five-year deal with Argentinian striker Sebastian Lucas Tagliabue (Tigali) in their quest for success in the 2013-14 season.
The former Paraguayan, Chilean and Colombian league player is new Czech coach Karol Jarolim’s second signing after 30-year-old Chilean defensive midfielder Marco Estrada joined from French side Montpellier earlier this week.
Tigali, 28, started his career in 2003 with Argentina’s Colegiales, where he played 123 matches and scored 37 goals.
In 2010, Tigali joined Once Caldas in Colombia, where he played five matches before heading to Saudi Arabia to play for Al Ittifaq in the same year. There he played 44 matches and scored 21 goals in two years before joining Al Shabab in Riyadh in 2012. Last season, Tigali played 25 matches and scored 19 to become the top scorer in the Saudi league, which encouraged Al Wahda to sign him as a replacement for their Brazilian striker Marcelo Oliveira (Marcelinho), who failed to meet the expectations of the club.
Bani Yas also showed interest in the player, but Al Wahda won the race to clinch his signature.
“I believe Tigali is a good buy,” Abdullah Salem, the team’s administrator, told Gulf News yesterday. “He can score goals and we had a problem scoring goals last season, which prevented us from winning a single title. We signed him for five years because we want him to settle down and do his best and also because he is 28 years old and can be at his top form in these years.”
In other Etisalat Pro-League transfer news, Al Ahli have signed 30-year-old Portuguese midfielder Hugo Viana from Braga, while Al Wasl wrapped up the signing of 25-year-old Brazilian striker Kaio Felipe Goncalves from Yokohama last week.
Meanwhile, Dubai Club have snapped up 30-year-old Italian midfielder Pasquale Foggia from Lazio, and Ajman have unveiled 29-year-old Iranian striker Mohammad Reza Khalatbari, formerly of Al Wasl, from Sepahan. Elsewhere, Bani Yas have bought 25-year-old Omani defender and former Arsenal triallist Abdul Salam Al Mukhaini from Saudi Arabia’s Al Raed.
By Yasir Abbasher Senior Reporter And Ashley Hammond Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2013. All rights reserved.
