So long, goodbye: Ayron Del Valle and Brendan Gan have decided to leave the Red Giants ahead of the 2024 season.
PETALING JAYA: Inspirational captain Brendan Gan and last season’s Super League top scorer Ayron Del Valle are among six players who have parted ways with Selangor ahead of the 2024 season.
Brendan has made 80 appearances over the course of four seasons with Selangor since 2020, of which 75 were as part of the starting line-up.
The 36-year-old national midfielder, who made a remarkable recovery from testicular cancer, contributed 14 goals for the Red Giants.
Brendan is known as a player who possessed high leadership qualities in the team and also played for the national team when they held Asian giants South Korea to a 3-3 draw in the Asian Cup Finals in Doha last week.
Brendan has not made known his next destination yet but is likely to return to Australia to feature in the Australian League.
Said Selangor coach Tan Cheng Hoe: “Brendan has been an asset for Selangor. Now that he is leaving, we will surely feel the loss from his absence.”
“We’ve been very happy with how Brendan had performed with the national squad as well as the club.
“He is a player who knows how to step up in his role. On the pitch, he was able to lift the team spirit and had been a good leader to his teammates.”
The big surprise was Del Valle’s departure as the Colombian had played a big role in helping the team finish as the runners-up in the Super League last season.
The 35-year-old striker scored 25 goals in 33 games to also help Selangor clinch their ticket to play in the AFC Champions League this year.
Del Valle will return to South America as he has been struggling to cope with the local environment and language.
Despite struggling at the beginning of the season, Del Valle nevertheless proved his true ability when he emerged as the top scorer in the Super League with 23 goals, surpassing the top scorer of the 2022 season Bergson Da Silva from Johor Darul Ta’zim.
Also leaving Selangor are Jordanian Yazan Al-Arab, Zahril Zabri; and Ghanaians Richmond Boakye and Rauf Salifu.
Boakye joined Selangor in the middle of last season and made 15 appearances in the Malaysian football scene where he scored six goals and made three assists.
“Selangor would like to express their gratitude to all the players who gave their best while with the team. We will always remember your service and wish them success with their respective new teams,” said the club in a statement. The 33-time Malaysia Cup champions also announced yesterday their first foreign recruit in Uzbekistan defender Umar Eshmurodov for the 2024-2025 season.
The 31-year-old is seen as a key defensive player and has featured in all matches as his country marched to the quarter-finals to take on hosts Qatar in the Asian Cup.
Selangor earlier announced that national striker Faisal Halim and several other players including Safuwan Baharudin, Mukhairi Ajmal Mahadi and Harith Haiqal will remain with the team.
