The future of Bani Yas attacking midfielder Joan Verdu remains unclear after head coach Luis Garcia declined to declare whether or not he is still a Sky Blues player.
Garcia, 42, refused to clarify the future of Verdu at a club press conference held Tuesday, where five summer signings were unveiled.
It seems certain though that the former Barcelona youth team graduate’s stint at the Abu Dhabi side is over, however, after the Spaniard confirmed he is looking for a left-sided attacker, the role the 32-year-old Verdu operated in to good effect last season. Verdu scored 10 goals in 24 appearances in his debut campaign and was the Sky Blues’ shining light in an otherwise disappointing campaign.
Bani Yas had struck an agreement to sign out of favour Al Ain forward Jires Kembo-Ekoko earlier this month, but the 27-year-old instead decided to make the move to Al Nasr. The club still have one foreign slot left open, although it looks increasingly likely that it won’t be filled by Verdu.
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“We will find another player,” said Garcia. “As for the last foreign player, I want a player in the forward left position, off the middle. I don’t have any names now for you.”
Garcia has beefed up his attacking options, bringing in Argentine striker Joaquín Larrivery, 30, from Celta Vigo and also snapping up Algerian forward Ishak Belfodil, 23, from Parma.
“We are waiting for the last player to arrive. Larrivery is a super striker and Benfodil is like a second striker,” said Garcia.
