It seemed like he was gone faster than he arrived and tat Spanish forward Paco Alcacer could set the record for the shortest time with a new club after his loan to Sharjah FC was cut short only 40 hours after it began. Villarreal’s official statement was short and to the point saying, “Al Sharjah have decided to unilaterally annul the loan agreement they had reached with Villarreal CF for the loan of Paco Alcacer.” At least until the other shoe dropped.
Flying from Villarreal to the United Arab Emirates can take around 12 hours, so Alcacer conceivably spent more time traveling than he spent with Sharjah FC. It may have been a ploy to rack up airline miles as Alcacer reached an agreement with Villarreal to terminate his contract before signing with Sharjah FC on a free transfer. Alcacer will sign a three year deal with the club.
It has been a complicated transfer as Villarreal are pursuing Edinson Cavani but needed Alcacer’s wages off the books to make it happen. With Boulaye Dia loaned to Salernitana, Unai Emry does have a shortage of forwards but the loan was likely cancelled to find a way to meet Cavani’s wage demands.
Alcacer has had quite the summer was offered back to Borussia Dortmund but with the team settling on Anthony Modeste, (and with Cristiano Ronaldo pushing for a move there) suitors in Germany dwingled. Hertha Berlin was another club in the mix he ended up landing in the UAE — hopefully for more than 40 hours this time. For a forward who seemed like one of the next big stars at Valencia, ending up in the UAE isn’t what was expected at only 28 but this transfer saga is a good microcosm of how odd Alcacer’s career has been.
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