Since joining AFC Wimbledon in January of this year, Ali Al-Hamadi has gained somewhat of a cult status at the club. His dynamic style was a bright spot in a somewhat disappointing end to last season but gave hope for this campaign.
The much-needed overhaul of the squad in the summer and the subsequent impressive start to this current campaign have given all at Plough Lane some renewed optimism. There is even talk of promotion. Of course, it is a team effort, but one player could be very important if the promotion aspirations are to be achieved.
Al-Hamadi is proving to be everything that Dons fans hoped he would be, and opposing defenders feared. His slow start to the season was a frustration. A couple of missed penalties, and some very near misses, were playing on everyone’s mind. The striker insisted it wasn’t an issue, but as with all goal scorers, hitting the back of the net regularly is what they thrive on.
Strike Rate
Since opening his account against Walsall on 29 September he has bagged eight goals in nine games, as well as another in the FA Cup. He is also a regular in the Iraq national team, and during last weekend’s international break, he got the fifth goal as Iraq started their World Cup qualifying group with a 5-1 win over Indonesia in front of 65,000 fans in Basra.
Al-Hamadi was the subject of much transfer speculation during the summer window, and several offers were rejected by Wimbledon. No doubt those who were trying to get him to put pen to paper will be keeping an eye on his progress and be suitably impressed. What his form does though is push his value up even further.
https://twitter.com/alikalhamadi/status/1728829071436775530
Wimbledon will have to be very stubborn again this coming January. There will be offers. How much money will be put on the table is the key though. The club still owes money to those who helped build the new stadium by way of purchasing Bonds, which will have to be repaid. And the club can only open the purse strings a little. By their admission, selling players is something they would consider to help balance the books and repay the debt.
Manager Johnnie Jackson will have to be shrewd in the transfer market if a big offer does come in that simply cannot be refused. The striker is due away for a large period of January as Iraq plays in the Asian Cup, it would be hard for Jackson to refuse the player a chance to enhance his international career and stay home for a hard playoff push. So business would have to be done swiftly to either replace him or convince him to stay and place the ‘not for sale’ sign above his name.
Decision Time
With one year left on his contract after this one, Al-Hamadi may well choose to stay anyway He is settled, the club are playing well, and he is scoring. Should Wimbledon gain promotion the dilemma will arise again in the summer, but with more time on all parties sides to decide what is best going forward. Should they miss out on going up, likely, some clubs will still want to gain his services, and then it is down to the player if he wants a new challenge.
Whichever way, this is a great problem for the club to have for the club, and the player too as he looks to keep doing business on the pitch, and his reputation swell further. The perfect storm is on the horizon.
