Alexandria-Hani Al-Awadi: Libya captain Tarek Al-Taib has claimed he turned down an offer to join an Egyptian club earlier this year. Al-Taib, who joined Saudi giants Al-Hilal from Turkish outfit Gaziantepspor a few days ago, said the offer came through Egyptian coach Mohsen Saleh. Saleh is currently in charge of the Libyan national team. "The Egyptian league didn't attract me," Al-Taib said. "Ahli have no real contenders, there is no action." The former Sfaxien and Etoile Sahel was speaking in a press conference on Sunday at Libya's summer training in Alexandria where they played local side Smouha.
The Libyan captain's comments confirmed rumors that there was interest from top Egyptian clubs like Ahli and Zamalek to seal his signature. The 29-year-old playmaker said that he was lured to Saudi Arabia by the "very lucrative" offer he received from Riyadh giants Hilal. Al-Taib also dished out praise for some Egyptian players like Mohamed Abou-Treika, Mohamed Barakat and Hazem Emam, describing them as Egypt's "best players".
