Serbian Zarko Lazic, Al-Taawoun coach, said that there are doubts about the player “Barfi’s” participation in the match against Al-Fateh on Saturday, in the Saudi Professional League, after he suffered an injury two days ago.
Regarding their preparations for the Al-Fateh match, Zarco said: “We will look at the quality of preparations for Saturday’s match, and we finally had enough time to prepare for this match, as well as analyze what we presented in previous matches.”
Regarding his opinion of the league schedule, Zarco said: “I have no personal complaint about the league schedule, and I am looking to develop the positive aspects, and certainly there are coaches who said they had difficulties, and it is true that the situation is different, but we have to adapt to playing every two or three days.”
In response to Asharq Al-Awsat’s question about the inclusion of foreign elements, Zarco said: “It is true that the matter is confusing, but we have to make a decision, and I always try to help the team and choose the best squad according to the skill of each player.”
Regarding the possibility of contracting with new players before the close of the transfer period, he replied: “This is an internal issue, and we are talking with the administration about everything, and if there is a change, the club will announce it, and we still have two days before the market closes, but my current focus is on preparing the team for the next match.”
Regarding changing the way of playing against Al-Nasr, he said: “Against Al-Nasr, we played with 3 defenders, and Marin played on the wing, and Bassam Al-Huraiji was also advancing and was able to score a goal. In general, our methods are clear to everyone, and we always focus on this point. If there is a change in the way of playing, it depends on many things, and we choose different formations based on the players.”
Regarding the team’s negative results, he answered: “If we return to the Al-Fayhaa match, we will have completely controlled it. Against Al-Nasr, we played with good organization in the first half hour, and we lacked continuity. I do not believe in bad luck, but we have to pay attention to the small details, and the results will come later.”
The Al-Taawoun coach added: “Our problem is not creating opportunities, but in order to translate them into goals, we need some small details, such as the players’ harmony with each other, like Hamdallah and Al-Kuwaibi, for example.”
Regarding the lack of foreigners in the summer camp, Zarco said: “It is not easy to start matches this way, but we have to adapt. I might consider this an excuse if I wanted to look for excuses, but I will not do that.”
Al-Ittihad club moved quickly towards a new goal to strengthen its offensive wing, after its attempts to include Anis Hadj Moussa, a Feyenoord player, collided with the Dutch club’s desire to keep its Algerian star.
Sky Sports reported that Al-Ittihad had entered into negotiations with Sunderland to include Moroccan international Shams Al-Din Talbi.
Sunderland seems open to the player's departure, after excluding him from its roster to participate in the European League, amid interest also from Fenerbahce and Galatasaray of Turkey.
The move towards Talbi comes in conjunction with the faltering negotiations of the Union to include Hajj Musa. According to the global “Gol” website, Feyenoord rejected a first offer worth 30 million euros, while the Union is preparing to raise its offer to 37.5 million, but Feyenoord coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst said he expects the player to stay. The club's technical director, Denny Rigo, confirmed in statements to ESPN that Feyenoord will do everything possible to keep him, especially with the closure of the Dutch transfer market and the possibility of replacing him.
It was mentioned that Talbi, 21 years old, was born in Belgium and began his career in the Tubize Academy before moving to Club Brugge in 2015. He progressed through the youth sector and the reserve team until he appeared with the first team in 2023. He particularly caught attention in the 2024-2025 season, when he scored 7 goals and made 5 assists in 44 matches in all competitions, including a famous brace against Atalanta in the Champions League.
In July 2025, Talbi moved to Sunderland for 18 million pounds, in addition to a possible 2.5 million pounds in incentives, and scored 4 goals in 28 matches in the English Premier League during his first season.
At the international level, Talbi represented Belgium’s junior national teams before choosing Morocco, and has played 6 international matches so far, and was part of the Moroccan team that won the 2025 African Cup of Nations. As for clubs, he won the Belgian League with Club Brugge in the 2023-2024 season and the 2025 Belgian Cup.
