Dubai-bound Larrivey leaves Celta in the lurch

Dubai - The Argentinian striker will sign for an as-yet-unspecified Arabian Gulf League (AGL) club.

Joaquin Larrivey has left Celta Vigo's pre-season training camp from the German city of Furth and is now bound for the emirate here, where he will sign for an as-yet-unspecified Arabian Gulf League (AGL) club.
The Argentinian striker, 30, was all set to join newly-promoted English Premier League (EPL) club Norwich City last week, only for Canaries boss Alex Neil to pull the plug on the deal at the last minute.
Al Wasl have long been rumoured to be interested in Larrivey, who scored 11 La Liga goals in 35 appearances for Celta last season.
However, it was commonly thought that the Cheetahs' interest in the player had waned much like Neil's had done, thereby leaving the door ajar for Wasl's city rivals to potentially make their respective moves.
Al Ahli are known to be in the market for a forward with a proven pedigree, although it's somewhat questionable whether Larrivey is really the 'big name' signing they so crave for in the final third of the pitch.
It's widely believed Al Nasr may be prepared to listen to offers for their Senegalese striker Ibrahima Toure if they can find a worthy enough replacement for him as well - a predicament that could lend itself nicely to Larrivey's acquisition.
Wasl themselves may even have reconsidered their prior stance having been unable to secure the services of their one-time loanee Ederson, who has ultimately joined Kashiwa Reysol in the Japanese J-League.
They benefitted from deploying three foreign players in advanced positions last season and may look to repeat the trick this time around, with Caio, Fabio Lima and Larrivey getting a steady stream of service from Portuguese midfielder Hugo Viana.
One destination that perhaps looks least likely though is Al Shabab, with Caio Junior's side having already purchased Brazilian striker Jo to play alongside their three other already established foreign players - Azizbek Haydarov, Henrique Luvannor and Carlos Villanueva.
Wherever Larrivey does eventually end up, it appears there are unlikely to be any late glitches as there were in Norfolk with his agent Daniel dos Reis confirming all aspects of the ?2m-plus deal have already been mutually agreed in principle subject to the medical.
"The transaction is approved by all parties," Dos Reis commented. "There is a preliminary agreement signed."
alex@khaleejtimes.com