Sweden has been a fantastic source of diaspora talent for Palestine’s national team. Since Imad Zatara’s debut in November 2004, a wave of talent has come from the Swedish league: Mahmoud Eid, Ahmed Awad, and Amr Kaddoura joined the team in the 2010 and in this decade Wessam Abou Ali, Omar Faraj, and Moustafa Zeidan answered Palestine’s call.
The pipeline of talent from Scandinavia shows no sign of slowing down with the 2024 season highlighted by a pair of Palestine eligible forwards banging in the goals in the Allsvenskan and Superettan.
When Wessam Abou Ali generated the highest ever transfer fee received by Sirius they went looking for a replacement. The Uppsala based club did not have to look very far- they went back to Denmark and snapped up another Danish born Palestinian striker.
Yousef Salech picked up right were Wessam Abou Ali left off scoring eleven goals and assisting three times in 27 appearances for the club. That form led to the same type of suitors Wessam Abou Ali had in the winter of 2024.
Abou Ali before signing with Al-Ahly was heavily pursued by Sheffield Wednesday who unlike Utrecht FC were willing to meet the 2 Million Euro valuation. In the end, Abou Ali rejected the English Championship in order to sign with the Club of the Century.
Yousef Salech was also subject of many a rumor linking him to the Egyptian League but in the end chose to go to Cardiff City and help in their quest to avoid the drop.
Wessam Abou Ali’s success in Egpyt pushed the valuation of Salech upwards and Cardiff City ended up paying 4 million Euros to secure his services. It took just two substitute appearances for the 22 year old to get off the mark for The Bluebirds.
“Cardiff City is a massive club – two cup finals in the last 20 years – so it’s a big club in the UK, and I’m really pleased to be here,” Salech told Cardiff’s website.
“I focus on scoring goals and creating chances for my team-mates. I would say that I have a good physical package. I’d describe myself as a hard-working player who wants to do the best for the team.”
Cardiff manager Omer Riza has had his eye on Salech “for a while”
“He’s a strong, powerful lad who can hold the ball up and bring people into play, but he’s also very good at getting beyond the opposition by making well-timed, intelligent runs,” Riza added.
The Hellerup born striker is eligible for multiple nations. Denmark, the nation of his birth, has not capped the player for the youth or senior team. His mother is Polish and his father is Palestinian qualifying him to play for either nation.
Salech was the subject of Jordan’s desire and the striker was in Amman with his agent last month. There has been no formal declaration as to the player’s intent nor has any official from the Jordan Football Association commented on the matter.
Palestine and Jordan will meet in a crunch World Cup qualifier on March 20th in the Jordanian capital of Amman.
The intent of 2024 Superettan top scorer Assad Al-Hamlawi is no secret. He wants to join Palestine and has been looking for ways to get in front of the coaching staff.
Before signing with Oddevold in March 2024 the 24 year old spent three months in Thailand with third tier side Prime Bangkok and reached out to Mahmoud Eid for advice on how to get in touch with the national team.
Less than a year later, the 24 year old finds himself on the cusp of a national team call up after his younger brother Anass debuted for the U20 team in September.
Al-Hamlawi finished the 2024 season as the joint top scorer of the Swedish second tier (14 goals, one assist in 28 appearances) in spite of playing for a relegation threatened side that barely averaged a goal a game.
The production in spite of a lack of service combined with his previous experience in the Allsvenskan prompted Slask Wroclaw to seak his signature in an undisclosed cash deal. The 24 year old’s contract runs through the 2026/27 season and he will be handed the number 9 jersey.
The striker is expected to debut on February 3rd when Slask returns to league action against Piast Gliwice. The side is rooted to the bottom of the table, eight points off of safety.
“The opportunity to join Slask Wrocław is a great opportunity for me. It’s a club with a lot of history and fantastic fans. I can’t wait for the first meeting in front of my own audience. I know we have a very difficult round ahead of us, but I believe that we can fight our strength to maintain” Al-Hamlawi told Slask’s official website.
