No Israeli club deal for Manneh

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By Sulayman Bah

German Bundesliga club Werder Bremen have shunned an Israeli club’s interest to sign their Gambian striker Ousman Manneh.

Ousman is fronting transfer discussions following news that he’s not in Bremen coach’s plans for the new season.

Manneh had an unforgettable six-game run in the very pinnacle of German football last campaign but Bremen want to ensure his quick development and have intentions to loan him out to aid his transition to a matured player.

Overtures have come from clubs in The Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland but a loan to the German second tier looks much more feasible.

Erzegbirge Aue in the Bundesliga B were reported to have brokered a deal in principle but the monster fees the Gambian youngster is on, scuppered the deal.

Out of the blue, Israeli premier league club Maccaba Neyanya this week put a brave face demanding the player’s availability for a possible loan switch where much established clubs have failed.

Bremen’s answer, as anticipated, was a swift no

‘Israel is not the favored solution, neither by us nor by the player,’ says Sports Director of Bremen Frank Baumann.

Bremen scouted Manneh after he impressed for a lower division German side in 2015, a year after arriving in Germany an unaccompanied teenager.