Nearly two years ago, they captivated the world as part of Morocco’s national team that reached the semifinals of the World Cup in Doha. They later struggled to prove themselves at the club level, but two of the African nation’s representatives have been given a new chance to showcase their talents after finding new clubs. The more well-known of the two, Sofiane Boufal, is the new offensive player for Union Saint-Gilloise. The winger arrived in Belgium after his contract with Qatar’s Al-Rayyan expired, where he spent just one year following his departure from Angers. Boufal will now have the opportunity to compete in a UEFA competition after eight seasons, as the Belgian club is part of the Europa League. The now 30-year-old Moroccan played just 52 minutes in the autumn of 2016 in a Southampton jersey. His career and performances at Southampton, Angers, and Lille suggest that Union Saint-Gilloise will gain a significant asset in Boufal.🚨 Azzedine Ounahi est attendu ce soir à Athènes pour passer sa visite médicale avec le Panathinaïkos ! 🇲🇦🩺🇬🇷Prêt payant de 500k€ + O.A. de 11,5M€. ✍️💰(🗞 @sebnonda )#TeamOM #MercatOM pic.twitter.com/uJI9a5OoKg— Actu OM (@info_made_in_OM) September 3, 2024 As for Sofiane’s national team colleague, Azzedine Ounahi, he turned down two offers to move to the aforementioned Qatar during the recently closed transfer window. Al Sadd wanted him, but the 24-year-old midfielder was determined to stay in Europe, despite the fact that his new coach at Marseille, Roberto De Zerbi, did not see him as part of the team. Ounahi waited and eventually ended up in Athens. He received the rare privilege of having two major clubs from the same city compete for his signature, as both Panathinaikos and Olympiacos made similar offers to the French club. In the end, the club from the Velodrome told Ounahi to choose where he wanted to continue his career, and the former central midfielder of Angers opted for the green side of Athens.Kenya’s opponents Cameroon see their federation and government wrangles heighten at airportOunahi will play for Panathinaikos on loan until the end of the season, for which the Greek club will pay 500,000 euros. If they decide to buy him, they will send an additional 11.5 million euros to the French club, but Marseille will have to send 30 percent of that money to Angers, where Azzedine played before moving to the Velodrome. Ounahi landed in Athens on Tuesday evening and, after medical exams, will be officially presented as a key player for the club that will compete in the Conference League, having eliminated Lens.##NAJAVA_MECA_8314420##
