Oman football: Ali Al Habsi happy to stay at Reading FC for another two years

Sports Saturday 07/January/2017 17:00 PM
By: Times News Service
Oman football: Ali Al Habsi happy to stay at Reading FC for another two years

Muscat: Omani legend Ali Al Habsi is delighted to stay at the English championship side Reading FC for another two years.
According to news posted on the Reading website on Thursday, the Omani star goalkeeper has signed a new contract with the club and that will keep him at the Royals’ Madejski Stadium until 2019.
The experienced stopper said he was thoroughly enjoying life at Reading under manager Jaap Stam and really feels at home in Berkshire with the Royals.
“I’m very happy and very pleased to be part of this team for another two and a half years,” the website quoted Ali Al Habsi as saying.
“Since I signed my last contract I feel at home and I feel this football club can go very far. This season has been fantastic and I’ like to thank the gaffer for giving me this opportunity.
“Since coming here last season and winning player of the year, it was a fantastic thing for me, my family and for my country Oman.
“Today don’t forget I am 35 so another two years is brilliant for me to keep myself fit, it gives me hope and desire to keep giving all my experience in football for this club.”
Reading’s player of the season for 2015-16 was full of praise for the Reading fans and the backing he has received both home and away since he joined the club in the summer of 2015.
The Oman international said he was proud to continue his career in Europe and is hoping to continue what has been a successful campaign so far this season.
“The fans have been fantastic with me and I want to help Reading finish this season as high up the table as we can,” said the glovesman.
“To have the feed-back from the fans and the way they respect me, they support me all the way and the connection we have is great for me. We want to keep pushing so we end the season with big smiles on our faces.
“I’m very pleased to have played 17 years in Europe,” he continued. “Three years in Norway and now with this contract another 14 years in England. The focus for me and the rest of the team now is to push as hard as we can from now until the end of the season.”
Earlier, manager Jaap Stam said: “As we all know, Ali is a great goalkeeper -- a fine shot stopper with good reactions who even at this stage in his career is still improving his game and becoming better and better as a player.
“He is very calm on the ball which is important to us, especially in the way we want to play out from the back at Reading. And just as important to this group...Ali is a great person with a very good mentality. So we are all very happy that he has signed another deal at the club.”
Club’s Chief Executive Nigel Howe commented: “As our supporters have witnessed, Ali is a fantastic goalkeeper and his performances in the last year and a half have certainly merited this new contract at the club. As both a professional and a person, he is a real credit to our club and I am very pleased he has agreed to this new deal.”