Al Ahly name Tau in CAF Champions League squad, end transfer speculation
Al Ahly have named Percy Tau in their CAF Champions League squad, ending speculation over his possible exit from the troubled Egyptian side.
Tau had been a subject of transfer speculation in the last few months and he came close to clinching a loan switch to French Ligue 2 side Le Havre. However, the potential deal fell through.
Earlier, reports had emerged from the media in South Africa and Egypt that Al Ahly had transfer-listed Tau.
Similar reports resurfaced this time around suggesting that the former Mamelodi Sundowns star had been released.
Tau has not been his usual imperial self since signing for Al Ahly last year from Brighton, largely due to injuries.
The dip in form has cost Tau a place in the latest Bafana Bafana call-up which coach Hugo Broos announced on Thursday.
TAU PART OF NEW COACH’s PLANS?
Now the former Brighton and Hove Albion will be part of new coach Marcel Koller ahead of the new campaign.
Koller named the squad of Friday a week after taking over the coaching job which has fallen vacant following the sacking of Portuguese Ricardo Soares two weeks ago.
The Swiss coach Koller would be hoping to follow the footsteps of South African coach Pitso Mosimane who won the CAF Champions League twice in three attempts.
Mosimane resigned from Al Ahly hot seat in June this year a week after the team’s 2-0 loss to Wydad Casablanca in the CAF Champions League final played in Morocco.
Al Ahly had played the final in Morocco under protest as they felt the venue gave Wydad an unfair advantage.
Soares had replaced Mosimane but only lasted on the job for two months before he was shown the exit door after Al Ahly finished on an unfavourable third place on the log table.
Meanwhile, Al Ahly will play against Petrojet in a friendly on September 21 2022 ahead of the new season.
The former CAF Champions League champions were exempted from the preliminary qualifying round of the continental league and will only join the race from the group stage.
AL AHLY SQUAD:
Goalkeepers: Mohamed El-Shennawy, Ali Lotfi, Mostafa Shobier, Hamza Alaa.
Defenders: Akram Tawfik, Mohamed Hany, Karim Fouad, Mohamed Abdelmonem, Ayman Ashraf, Yasser Ibrahim, Rami Rabia, Mahmoud Metwally, Mohamed Maghrbi, Ali Maaloul, Ayman Ashraf.
Midfielders/strikers: Rafaat Khalil, Aliou Dieng, Amr El-Sulya, Hamdi Fathi, Mohamed Mahmoud, Hussein El-Shahat, Taher Mohamed, Percy Tau, Ziad Tarek, Mohamed Mgady Afsha, Bruno Savio, Ahmed Abdelkader, Mohamed Fakhri, Ahmed Nabil Kouka, Mostafa Saad, Mido Nabil.