Ghana’s Andre Ayew has spoken of his desire for success with his new club Al Sadd.
Ayew joined the Qatari champions as a free agent last week after being released by Swansea at the end of the previous campaign.
The Black Stars captain said in his first interview after the move that he was targetting titles with his new side, including the elusive AFC Champions League with Al Sadd last won in 2011.
“My goal is to win titles, to make the fans happy, and to strive hard to win the AFC Champions League.”
“I am very happy and proud to play at Al-Sadd. It’s an important moment for me and my family, because of what Al-Sadd provided to my family in the past, and therefore when the club offered me a contract, I agreed immediately and I am sure that we will win more championships together.”
Ayew also spoke about his eagerness to work with Barcelona legend and current Al Sadd manager Xavi.
“Xavi, the coach of the team, was a great player and played for a long time with the biggest and best club in the world – Barcelona, and he is now a coach for the best club in the Gulf after playing with the team for five years.
“I follow the Al Sadd team and watched the development that took place in the team’s performance in terms of entertaining football, the positioning of the players and the great tactics with which the team plays. I expect to learn a lot from him during my time with him.”
Ayew’s move to the Qatari champions was completed on Thursday with the Ghanaian revealed as the club’s new Number 24.
The unveiling video had Andre’s father Abedi Ayew Pele chronicling his career which took him from RTU to Al Sadd before he moved to Europe.
At the end of the video, Andre Ayew said he was there to “continue his father’s legacy and win more titles” at Al Sadd.
Ayew was released by Swansea in June after a second-consecutive failed bid to return to the Premier League.
Swansea’s loss in the playoffs final against Brentford meant they would have to spend at least another season in the Championship.
This meant that the club could effectively not afford to keep Ayew on his wages, reported to be around 80,000 pounds a week.
There were mixed reactions from Swansea fans to the news that Ayew had been let go, with many acknowledging the impact he had on the team in his time there.
Andre Ayew finished as the club’s top scorer in the last two seasons and scored the winner in their playoffs semi-final first leg.
A host of European clubs, including Scottish giants, Celtic had been rumoured to be interested in signing the forward.
However, Al Sadd have won the race, initially announcing on Twitter that they had reached an agreement to sign the Ghanaian before confirming the completion of the deal on Thursday.
Al Sadd have been champions of Qatar 15 times and won the league and cup double last season.
They are currently managed by Xavi while former Arsenal midfielder, Santi Carzola is one of the side’s main players.
The pair was named best Coach and Best Player respectively last season.
See Andre’s unveiling video below:
رسمياً : أندريه آيو سداوي لموسمين قادمين مع سنة ثالثة إختيارية .#السد 🤍🖤#AlawaysAlSadd
@AyewAndre pic.twitter.com/uHiNKOfftK— 🏆 #79 Al Sadd SC | نادي السد (@AlsaddSC) July 22, 2021
