After weeks of negotiations, Oman’s football captain Ali Al Habsi is finally heading to English Championship club, Reading.
The experienced Habsi will be signing the deal in the coming days, highly-placed sources have confirmed.
Habsi has been on trial with Reading and is currently on a pre-season tour to Thailand where he featured in the friendly game against the Thai All-Stars in Bangkok on Wednesday. The match ended in a 2-2 draw with Habsi being substituted at halftime with Jonathan Bond.
The Reading club will conclude their Thailand trip on Sunday and according to sources, the deal will be signed soon after the team’s return.
Ahmed Al Habsi, Ali’s elder brother and a senior member of the Oman Football Association confirmed that the deal will be signed in the coming days.
Speaking to Muscat Daily on Saturday, Ahmed, who has been closely following the transfer talks said, “It is now final that Ali will sign with Reading. He has been very happy with the players and the technical staff during his trial with the club and the Thailand tour.
“This was exactly the reason why he decided to go ahead with the trial as it was a nice way to know more about teammates and technical staff.”
Habsi is currently a free agent having been released by Wigan earlier in the summer.
Prior to his trial with Reading, Habsi had told Muscat Daily, “It is an important season ahead and my priority is a club where I can play regularly.”
Ahmed echoed this, saying that the main thing for Ali was to get a club where he could be in the starting line-up. “This is the reason why he has agreed to go with Reading as he is happy working under manager, Steve Clarke,” said Ahmed.
The UK press too confirmed Ali’s deal coming through with Reading with Clarke saying that “a deal was imminent with the 33 year old Omani keeper”.
Clarke said, “I think Ali is happy to be here and we’re very happy to have him.
“Hopefully, the agents and the people who handle the contracts will get the deal done as quickly as possible.”
Reports last week suggested that Premier League club Stoke City’s manager Mark Hughes too was keen on Ali.
