Football: Maradona refutes Drogba, Raul links

Maradona says that the UAE club could not afford to sign either player.

DUBAI: Al Wasl manager Diego Maradona has denied speculation linking him to strikers Didier Drogba of Chelsea and Raul Gonzalez of Schalke saying that the UAE club could not afford to sign either player. Maradona confirmed plans to bring in reinforcements in the January transfer window but maintained that Drogba and Raul, who would both be out of contract by the end of the season, would not be among the new arrivals at Al Wasl. “When it comes to Raul, there is no truth in the stories,” said Maradona. “We have a budget and we have to find a better way of dealing with that budget so we can be more competitive. Players like Drogba [also] don’t fit into it.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 5^th, 2012.