Following the departure of Ali Hosni, whose tenure lasted all but a few days at Rizespor, it seems that the Turkish club are set to lose on yet another Iraqi youngster. Ali Faez has revealed his frustration at the lack of playing time granted to him at his new side, who he had only joined last the summer. The youngster is said to be interested in moving clubs to provide him with more playing time.

The centre back has grown increasingly tired of sitting on the bench during his first year at the club, which he described as ‘a waste of time’. Featuring only twice all season, injuries have not helped his form either – the Iraqi international has either been sidelined or found himself out of the pecking order at Rizespor. Fellow countryman Dhurgham Ismail has been far more impressive at Rizespor, where he has made the left back position his own since taking over from Ali Adnan, who stars for Udinese. The Turkish side have endured a difficult season, where they are currently at risk of relegation from the Süper Lig.

Faez claims that there have been offers on the table from various European and Gulf clubs but Rizespor are not keen on letting him go just yet. The coaching staff and manager see Ali as a youngster with much to offer the team in the future and are not keen on letting him go on the cheap. However, without regular playing time, it will be difficult to keep the Iraqi happy, especially when his place in the national team is at risk due to his lack of club football.

Ali Faez is one of the few expat Iraqi players currently playing in Europe and so his lack of progress this season has been difficult to endure, especially given his obvious talent and technical skills. Should the player find form, he would be one of the few Iraqis that can justify a move to a big European league.