bresciano al al nasr per 4mln di euro(alla Lazio) e 3 al giocatore
Lazio's Bresciano joins Al Nasr ranks
Team manager lauds deal that reunites midfielder with his old Palermo coach Zenga
By Ashley Hammond, Staff Reporter
Published: 00:00 August 9, 2011
Gulf News
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Walter Zenga
Image Credit: AP
Walter Zenga
Dubai: Al Nasr team manager Khalid Obaid has sung the praises of coach Walter Zenga after the signing of Lazio's Australian midfielder Mark Bresciano in a two-year deal, reported in Australian and Italian press to be worth Dh20.5 million.
Bresciano arrived in the UAE yesterday to settle negotiations today after an earlier proposal for South Korea's Lee Yong-rae fell through.
Bresciano, a 31-year-old midfielder, born of Italian and Croatian parents in Australia, will join Al Nasr as their Asian allocation playing under his Australian passport. He complements the retained likes of Ecuadorian 32-year-old forward Carlos Tenorio, 29-year-old Brazilian attacking midfielder Leo Lima and 26-year-old Guinean striker Esmail Bangoura at the Oud Mehta outfit.
The deal reunites Bresciano and his old Palermo coach Walter Zenga in a move team manager Obaid is very happy about: "Zenga is a good coach who enabled us to finish third, after a poor start last season and him coming in half-way through, he still qualified us to the Asian Champions League for the first time."
Al Nasr came from tenth under Helio Dos Anjos to sixth with Eid Baroot to third under Zenga just last season alone, in one of the unsung success stories of the 2010/11 campaign.
"Bresciano is a good addition to the team with European experience. The board has supported Zenga's ambition and with Bresciano we will challenge for the title and Asian Champions League progression this season," said Obaid.
Hard-working coach
"Zenga is a hard-working coach and after last season's growth and this signing we're expecting to challenge. They've all worked very hard we just need a little luck. But Zenga has made the difference. He's built a team without any stars, the star is the team, there is no one player," Obaid added.
But Bresciano's credentials may outshine his new colleagues. Having represented; Bulleen Lions, Carlton, Empoli, Parma, Palermo and Lazio since 1995 and Australia from U17 all the way to senior level, Bresciano also played for the Socceroo's at the 2006 and 2010 World Cup as well as the 2007 Asian Cup. He played at the 1999 Youth World Cup as well as the 2000 Olympics and in 2007 narrowly missed out on a move to English Premier League Manchester City.
He's the third Socceroo to come to the UAE in recent weeks. Harry Kewell was linked with Al Ahli, while Lucas Neill has reportedly joined defending champions Al Jazira.