Lapa…the first target in the “Cosmin Al Jazeera” project

Emirates Today learned that the Romanian coach, Elario Cosmin, who is nominated to take over the technical leadership of the Al Jazira team during the next season, has placed the Al Ain striker and its all-time top scorer, the Togolese Laba Kodjo, on the list of names that he wishes to benefit from their services, in the event that his official contract with “Pride of Abu Dhabi” is completed, in light of the approaching expiration of the player’s contract with “Al Zaeem”, at the end of this month.

A private source told Emirates Today that Cosmin sees Lapa as one of the attacking options capable of providing the required technical addition, benefiting from the great experience that the player possesses in the Emirati football fields, and his distinguished scoring record since joining Al Ain.

This is the second time that the Romanian coach has shown interest in contracting with Laba Cudjou, after he had previously requested a contract with the Togolese striker during his leadership of the Sharjah team, but the deal did not see the light at that time, so the player continued with Al Ain and continued writing his name in the club’s history.

Laba is experiencing one of the most important stations in his career with Al-Zaeem, after he entered the final months of his current contract without officially announcing a final agreement regarding the renewal, which opens the door to many possibilities related to his future during the upcoming summer transfer period.

Lapa received two offers during the last winter transfer period, one from the Chinese League, and the other from a Turkish club, but he preferred to continue with Al-Zaeem.

The Togolese striker is considered one of the most prominent foreign players to have played in the professional league in recent years, as he succeeded in establishing his position as one of the most important scorers in the history of the competition. He also became the all-time top scorer for Al Ain Club after a series of records he achieved with the purple team shirt.

Laba contributed directly to Al Ain winning several local and continental titles, and was one of the key elements in the team’s journey towards the 2024 AFC Champions League title, in addition to his prominent role last season, which witnessed Al-Zaeem being crowned with the double of the Professional League and the President’s Cup.

Al Ain Club’s sporting director, Rodrigo Mendes, said after the President’s Cup final: “The continuation of the team’s top scorer, Laba Kodjo, depends on the talks currently underway with the administration.”