Al-Hilal coach feeling the heat
LONDON: Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez and Manchester United midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan were to undergo medicals on Sunday as their swap deal neared completion, reports said.
Britain’s Mirror newspaper said Sanchez was due to arrive in Manchester with agent Fernando Felicevich, with a medical scheduled for Sunday afternoon, while Sky reported that Mkhitaryan would have a medical in London.
The Mirror said the deals may not be officially completed until Monday as both Sanchez and Mkhitaryan are non-EU players and must have their work permits ratified by their new clubs.
Sky Sport News showed Armenian international Mkhitaryan at a central London hotel on Saturday evening alongside agent Mino Raiola ahead of his expected move.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger and United manager Jose Mourinho both said they expected the two-way deal between the Premier League rivals to go through.
Wenger said Chile international Sanchez was absent from the Arsenal squad on Saturday because he was close to completing a deal that has been in the making since United outbid Manchester City for the former Barcelona star.
“I expect soon or never,” Mourinho said after his side’s 1-0 win against Burnley. “I think it is so close, so close, so close that if it doesn’t happen it’s not going to happen.”
“So I am positive, I know my people are doing everything they can — the owners with the green light, Mr. (executive vice chairman Ed) Woodward working hard ... and everybody is giving everything they can and I think they are going to be successful,” he added.
Sky said it understood it could be a straight swap deal but details were yet to be finalized. DUBAI: Speculation surrounding the future of Ramon Diaz’s Al-Hilal manager is mounting after the Saudi Pro League reigning champions succumbed to a shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of Al-Qadisiyah in the King’s Cup round of 16 at the weekend.
The Argentine coach failed to appear at the post-match press conference and has subsequently given his players a three-day rest and left the Kingdom on a short holiday. Al-Hilal are now without a win in three matches and not back in action until Jan. 30 when they play Al-Raed.
Diaz had led Al-Hilal to their first league title since 2010/11, then took the side to the verge of continental glory, losing the 2017 AFC Champions League final to Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds. But since the final defeat and the injury sustained by talisman Carlos Eduardo in the competition’s semifinal, the side’s fortunes have taken a turn for the worse.
When Al-Hilal resumed league action following the end of their continental campaign, they held a four-point lead at the top of the table with three games in hand, including fixtures against bottomhalf sides Al-Ettifaq and Al-Raed. But three months later, Diaz’s men have seen their advantage eroded to just two points, having collected five points from a possible nine in the postponed matches. Al-Hilal also lost to newly promoted Al-Fayha, and are now on a three-match winless run that has opened the door for chasers Al-Ahli, who seem to be hitting form at the right time of the season.
Eduardo’s injury had a massive impact on the team. In the 13 matches before the Brazilian’s season-ending injury, the team won nine times. In the 12 games without him since November, they have won just five. Tellingly, Eduardo remains Al-Hilal’s top scorer in the league with six goals, despite not playing for more than two months.
To add insult to injury, Syrian striker Omar Khribin has seen a dramatic drop in form. The 2017 Asian Player of the Year found the net in Al-Hilal’s first two outings but he has since gone on an eight-match dry spell, and now has just four league goals from 12 appearances.
A major criticism directed at Diaz is his failure to strengthen the squad in the summer transfer window. Controversy surrounded the signing of Oman’s Ali Al-Habsi from English side Reading, as the goalkeeper was not included in the AFC Champions League squad, the manager preferring Uruguayan striker Matias Britos.
The signing of Britos has also been questioned. The 29-year-old scored one goal in six league appearances and Diaz was so unimpressed with his abilities that, even when Al-Hilal were chasing victory in the Champions League final, the Argentine preferred to bring on 31-year-old Mokhtar Fallatah for his club debut instead of giving Britos a chance.
Diaz finds himself in a difficult situation, with the club losing another key player in Nawaf Al-Abed, who is recovering from a groin surgery in France. Fellow attacking midfielder Salem Al-Dawsari is reportedly closing in on a loan move to Spanish side Villarreal, leaving Al-Hilal extremely thin on the ground just when Diaz needs his key players the most.