- Romanian coach and defender recruited
- Team dropped four places to tenth last season
LONDON: Al-Shabab will have a Romanian feel to them this season after they followed up appointing Marius Sumudica as coach by recruiting national team defender Valerica Gaman.
Sumudica was picked as the man to replace José Daniel Carreño who was fired in March after just six months in charge. The Uruguayan won only eight of his 21 matches in charge.
Sumudica has extensive coaching experience — this is his 18th post — and he also has experience of working in the Gulf having coached UAE side Al-Shaab for the 2012-13 season. The 47-year-old was recruited after a deal for Swiss coach Rene Weiler fell through.
Sumudica has wasted no time in using his contacts to sign Romanian international defender Valerica Gaman subject to a medical. Garman, 29, has been capped 16 times by his country and joins from FC Steaua București.
The Riyadh-based side have also reached an agreement with Brazil U-20 international left-back Euller Silva. The 23-year-old will join from Japan side Avispa Fukuoka subject to a medical.
With one eye on the future, the club have also tied youngsters Hassan Tombakti and Nasser Alomran to new contracts. The most promising young player of the lot is Turki Alammar. The midfielder was named the league’s Young Player of the Year and he will be looking to kick on under the guidance of Sumudica.
Sumudica will also be looking to count on Farouk Ben Mustapha, the goalkeeper who is away with and playing for Tunisia at the World Cup.
Al-Shabab endured a difficult season last time out. They finished tenth in the Saudi Pro League — they were sixth the year before — and were knocked out of the King’s Cup by eventual winners Al-Ittihad at the quarterfinal stage.
Nasser Al-Shamrani was one of the league’s leading assist makers with five but Abdullah Al-Fahad had the worst disciplinary record in the league, picking up seven yellows and one red card.