Al Ahly head coach Pitso Mosimane has revealed two stars he feels can play in the Premier League, one of which Arsene Wenger asked him about.
Ahly are arguably one of the biggest clubs in world football and the undisputed kings of African football with a record 10 CAF Champions League titles to their name – two of which Mosimane delivered.
And with success, naturally the squad is littered with quality footballers, none more so than Mali international midfielder Aliou Dieng – a cornerstone of the Red Devils team and an integral part of Mosimane’s plans.
However, Mosimane feels he’s ready for the next step of his career at 24-year-old, having joined the Egyptian giants from Algerian outfit MC Algiers in 2019 in a reported €1.1-million transfer (R18.7m).
“I think my player Aliou Dieng, in fact, to reveal one thing, Arsene Wenger asked me about him. He said, woah you have a wonderful, you have a good player there,” he said via On The Whistle podcast.
“So I look at [Marvelous] Nakamba from Aston Villa and Zimbabwe, the boy from Leicester, [Wilfired] Ndidi, I look at [Thomas] Partey at Arsenal – I mean really guys there’s not much of a difference
“He plays for Mali and Al Ahly, he’s two-time Champions League winner, two bronze medals at the FIFA Club World Cup, Egyptian Premier League, Super Cup twice, the Egypt Cup – I mean what else does he have to win?
“He has the experience and somebody has to open their eyes, someone has a player to get here in Africa, he’s a six, he’s an eight.
“And he plays in all modern systems, he’s fit, strong, young, age allows him [to develop futher], he can press and run 90 minutes – he has all the attributes needed in the Premier League.”
The three-time CAF Champions League-winning coach went on to suggest one of Egypt’s rising stars who recently was recalled to the club from his loan at Future FC after a standout Africa Cup of Nations campaign, is destined for Europe’s top-five leagues.
“I’m not saying Chelsea, Manchester United or Liverpool but he can play with other teams, it’s possible – there are many players,” he continued.
“Like Mohamed Abdelmonem also, my centre-back who just came, I think he’s a European player, I think he will play in Europe. He’s quick, he’s young he’s got a leap, he can jump, he can pass.
“He’s so comfortable on the ball – big opportunities for those players for those teams. Probably teams in Spain but in the Premier League they can also play, why not?”
