16 September,2023 01:55 PM IST | Mumbai | Ashwin Ferro
Nasser El Khayati Pic/Instagram
Mumbai City FC (MCFC) coach Des Buckingham is hoping his latest recruit, Nasser El Khayati, can help bolster their prospects at the upcoming AFC Champions League. MCFC play Iranian outfit Nassaji Mazandra at the Balewadi Stadium on Monday and Buckingham believes the Dutch attacking midfielder Khayati, 34, will further spice up the attacking arsenal of the Indian Super League Shield winners.
"Someone like Nasser coming in will give us some creativity in the final third [opposition striking circle]. We've had other players like [Scotsman] Greg [Stewart] who has been doing this role for us pretty well. But for El Khayati to come in and partner and work along with guys like Greg and [Argentine Jorge Pereyra] Diaz in the front line while being surrounded by players like Bipin [Singh], [Lallianzuala] Chhangte and Vikram [Singh] makes it a very exciting prospect when we think of the different combinations that we can now put to use now," Buckingham told mid-day.com on Thursday.
Born in Rotterdam, El Khayati dribbled through the Dutch youth set-up at Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven before turning professional with FC Den Bosch. He has also played in England for Burton Albion and Queens Park Rangers. Khayati enjoyed a brief stint with another ISL outfit, Chennaiyin FC, ahead of the 2022-23 season, scoring nine goals with five assists in just 12 appearances.
Mumbai City FC coach Des Buckingham Pic/Mumbai City FC Instagram
The new AFC Champions League rule, permitting six foreigners, is also a positive, felt Buckingham. In the last campaign, teams were allowed to play just three foreigners plus one player from the AFC region, but now, they can field five foreigners and one player from the AFC region.
"Nasser is a gifted player with great vision and technical ability. His intelligence and versatility on the pitch are some of his best traits. The last AFC Championship that we participated in, we got three [positive] results out of the six games, finishing second in the group. I thought we demonstrated some wonderful football and showed what Indian footballers and football from this country can showcase on that stage. If we can continue taking further steps in that direction, I would be extremely pleased," Buckingham concluded.
