PAHANG coach Dollah Salleh is still looking for two more foreign players to sign for the new M-League season.
The former international hopes to complete his foreign signings before Pahang open their Super League campaign against Perak on Feb 4.
The east coast side have retained Gambian forward Mohamadou Sumareh while Singaporean defender Safuwan Baharudin and Cambodian star Chan Vathanaka are their new foreign signings.
Pahang were hoping to retain Brazilian striker Matheus Alves, who was the team’s top scorer last season, but both parties could not agree on new terms. Alves has now joined K-League Challenge side Suwon FC.
It is learnt that the Pahang FA had approached their former striker Dickson Nwakaeme but the Nigerian’s asking price of RM400,000 a month was too high.
Nwakaeme, who had an unsuccessful season with Ligue I side Angers SCO in 2017, was earning around RM160,000 a month, excluding bonuses, when he played for Pahang in the 2014 and 2015 seasons
Dollah, who is determined to get things back on track after serving a five-month suspension for insulting match officials last season, said he needs a foreign defender and striker.
“We have identified several foreigners, but I will need to sit down with the management first to decide on them.
“It is important that we do not make wrong decisions over foreign players as it will affect our campaign.
“If everything goes well, the foreign players will arrive by the end of the week,” said Dollah on Monday.
Pahang will have a new-look team for the new season following the departure of 10 players from the 2017 squad.
Dollah said: “Last year, we had several big names, but this time we have decided to promote some of our President’s Cup players.”
“However, it does not mean we will not be able to compete with other teams. The current batch are working hard and I am confident we can do decently,” said Dollah, who also signed former national players Norshahrul Idlan Talaha and Bunyamin Umar to add depth.
On the form of Vathanaka, the coach said the Cambodian is an exceptional player, but he needs to work on his match fitness.
“Vathanaka has special abilities. He is probably one of the best players in Southeast Asia and we are lucky to have him here.
“He was unfit when he arrived here, but it is understandable as he did not play much football last year,” Dollah added.