Abu Dhabi: Fellipe Bastos, Bani Yas’s high-profile summer signing, has issued a rallying cry to his new teammates to prove they can be among the UAE’s elite rather than perennial also-rans.
Bastos says he has seen enough during pre-season to suggest that the Sky Blues can achieve a vast improvement on last season’s ninth-place finish in the Arabian Gulf League.
Given Bani Yas’s struggles, eyebrows were raised in some quarters that the 26-year-old midfielder had left UAE giants Al Ain for one of the country’s underdogs.
But Bastos, who spent only a season at The Boss and whose transfer followed Amer Abdul Rahman’s move in the opposite direction, insists his switch does not represent a lack of ambition on his part.
And, despite rumours that he was a target for the Egyptian champions Al Ahly and other big clubs, he pointed out: “It was the only club who gave me a formal offer.”
Bastos added: “Bani Yas are a well-organised team with big players, both foreign and local, and I see a good chance that, with resolve and determination, we will be a hard team to beat in the league and other domestic competitions.
Al Ain are a great team with many big players, but if we double our efforts we will be among the elite like them.”
Bastos has also been impressed by the club’s new manager, Pablo Repetto.
Repetto, 42, joined the Abu Dhabi-based outfit Bani Yas last month on a two-year deal with the option of a third after inspiring Ecuador’s Independiente del Valle to the Copa Libertadores final.
The Uruguayan’s side succumbed 2-1 on aggregate to Colombia’s Atletico Nacional, but performed heroics en route by beating the Argentinian giants River Plate and Boca Juniors.
“Repetto has a strong CV and it was interesting to see him rated 48th in FourFourTwo magazine’s list of the 50 best managers in the world recently,” the former Brazil Under-15 and U-17 player added. “He is a spirited and energetic coach, but of course we as players need time to understand his tactics.”
Bastos joins four other foreigners at Bani Yas — strikers Joaquin Larrivey and Ishak Belfodil, defensive midfielder Mark Milligan and winger Royston Drenthe.
But Drenthe is expected to depart Bani Yas this summer, with the exciting Uruguayan attacker Gaston Rodriguez potentially lined up as his replacement.
The Montevideo Wanderers forward netted an impressive 19 goals in 27 Primera Division games last season and has scored 45 times in total during five seasons with the Los Negriazules.
Meanwhile, as Bastos looks forward to the new season in Abu Dhabi with relish, his fellow Brazilian Thiago Neves cannot wait to leave the UAE capital.
The Al Jazira midfielder has already been told by coach Henk ten Cate that he is not part of his plans for the new season and has since taken to his Twitter feed to say: “I just want to go home [to Brazil], that’s it!”
The Pride of Abu Dhabi want to replace Neves with Anderlecht’s Belgium international, Steven Defour, as Gulf News revealed last week.
The Spanish midfielder, Angel Lafita, is also set to depart the club, although Peru winger Jefferson Farfan could yet stay after impressing during pre-season training in the Netherlands and Germany.
The President’s Cup holders currently have Mirko Vucinic, Park Jong-woo and new signing Mbark Boussoufa on their books, too.
