PETALING JAYA: Akram Mahinan wants to continue his energetic performances in midfield but in the colours of black and white.
The 31-year-old former Kuala Lumpur player was announced as Terengganu’s new signing as they look to replace Habib Haroon, the club’s key defensive midfielder in 2023, for the upcoming season.
Akram signed a two-year deal with the club and is delighted to move to the east coast for the first time.
“It’s a big team in the Malaysian League and I like challenges, so I decided to join Terengganu. It won’t be easy but the excitement is there, so I can’t wait to start training,” he said.
“Terengganu management have been discussing with me since June, so I knew this was serious and I decided to take it up.”
With Kuala Lumpur, Akram won the Malaysia Cup in 2021 and helped them to qualify for the AFC Cup final in 2022 and the FA Cup final in 2023.
Last season, Akram could not give his usual impact to the team due to injuries. He was named for 21 games in all competitions but only started in nine.
The players also had to grapple with the club’s financial issues as they were owed salaries for months but the management eased the fear by saying they would settle them as soon as possible.
“I did have a chat with the club management and it’s going well, so I hope my dues will be settled soon.”
Akram is not the one to make crunching challenges but his reading of the game, interceptions and blocks have been lauded by many in the league and he is still fit as a fiddle.
“I hope to help Terengganu get a top-three finish and a Cup.”
