Jason Denayer has signed a one-year contract with FC Shabab Al-Ahli in Dubai. The 27-year-old Belgian had been without a club since July after his contract with Olympique Lyon expired. Although there was a lot of interest from top leagues, the central defender opts for a lucrative adventure in the United Arab Emirates.
According to the English medium 90min West Ham United, Leicester City and Bournemouth had expressed interest in Denayer this summer. Wolverhampton Wanderers would even have had intensive talks with the management of the Belgian defender. Last Monday, transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano came suddenly with the news that Denayer would opt for this lucrative adventure and now it has already come to an end.
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With this, Denayer still has a club about a month and a half before the start of the World Cup. Although he was transfer-free, he was allowed to report to the Belgian national team during the past international period. Analyst Jan Boskamp was therefore critical of national coach Roberto Martínez in The Telegraph. “When you see that Martínez has made room for defender Jason Denayer for the international matches against Wales and the Netherlands, someone who does not have a club, does not play, and does not train, then I do question that. Then bring in young guests.”
Shabab Al-Ahli becomes the sixth club on Denayer’s resume. Previously, the right leg played for Manchester City, Galatasaray, Sunderland, Celtic and Lyon. With the latter he lost his starting place under Peter Bosz last season. In total, Denayer played 139 games for the French club, in which he was good for eight hits and two assists. In the UAE Pro League, the Belgian will meet several well-known names: Miralem Pjanic, Paco Alcácer, Kostas Manolas, Pizzi and Allan each opted for an adventure in the United Arab Emirates this summer.