KUALA LUMPUR: PKNP FC coach, Abu Bakar Fadzim has admitted that the decision by Shahrel Fikri Md Fauzi and South Korean forward Kim Hyeon Woo to leave the team is a big loss for them.
Hyeon Woo, 28, who joined PKNP in the middle of the recently concluded season, is almost certain to join east coast side Terengganu, while Shahrel is expected to join a top M-League side very soon.
“As we already know, Kim will leave PKNP for sure. We have tried to keep him but it is clear that we cannot match the offer made to him by Terengganu.
“When he joined PKNP in June, we only offered him a contract until the end of the season to gauge his abilities as a forward.
“It has been proven that he is indeed a good forward, which has resulted in him being snapped up by another team. We cannot stop him from leaving because his contract with us has ended,” he said.
Even though the situation differs from the one they are facing with Shahrel who is still contracted to PKNP until the end of 2019, Bakar stressed that their stand is not to stop players who want to leave.
“This concerns the players rice bowl, how they make a living, and we don’t believe in stopping them from seeking greener pastures. Shahrel has received a very lucrative offer which far exceeds what we can afford to pay him, so we will let him go if he wants to.
“Even though for now his move has not been confirmed, I can say that it is a 99.9 per cent certainty he will leave PKNP unless something really unexpected or out of the ordinary happens.
“Negotiations between both sides are in the final stage. It is only a matter of time before it is finalized,” said Bakar who refused to reveal Shahrel’s next destination.
However, speculation is rife that Shahrel will be moving to Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), who have already bolstered their squad with the signings of youngsters Adam Nor Azlin and Syamer Kutty Abba.
Abu Bakar admits that Shahrel’s departure will leave a huge impact on PKNP as he was their top scorer with 20 goals.
“We can always find another import player that is as good as Kim, but it will be very difficult to unearth another player like Shahrel.
“I will definitely feel the loss because I have coached him since the President’s Cup squad, and furthermore I watched him develop into arguably the best local forward now.”
Translated from Harian Metro