‘Like watching Zola or Nevin’ – Dons attacking star Assal got fans off their seats at Plough Lane
BY EDMUND BRACK
edmund@slpmedia.co.uk
Former AFC Wimbledon head coach Mark Robinson says it was like watching Chelsea legends Pat Nevin or Gianfranco Zola when Ayoub Assal had the ball.
The young attacker will become the record transfer sale of the phoenix club era once his move to Qatar Stars League side Al-Wakrah is confirmed.
Robinson worked with Assal in the club’s academy before he was handed the first-team head coach role after Glyn Hodges’ dismissal.
He also handed the Deptford-raised attacker his League One debut, with Assal coming on to score in a 1-1 draw at Shrewsbury in March 2021.
“I had known him for a long time – we had a really close relationship,” Robinson told the South London Press. “I knew he would give it everything if he was given the opportunity.
“We needed something different at the time and that’s exactly what he offered. I felt that if it worked, it would give us that little spark and lift.
“That is the sort of player he is. He excites people on and off the ball with how aggressive he is. It worked out.
“Me and Ayoub used to talk a lot about football – I know what his goals are and how much hunger he had to succeed. I knew that [stepping up to League One] would never be an issue with him. He has a real belief in his own ability, which gives you the confidence to make those braver decisions, even though we were in a relegation battle.”
Assal, 19 at the time, quickly cemented himself in Robinson’s starting line-up and helped the Dons secure League One survival with two games to go. He started the next season in the same scintillating fashion, with his late winner away to Morecambe seeing the South Londoners move into the top six and become the top goalscorers in the country at the time.
“It felt as though he was the most fouled player in football,” said Robinson, who is now Chelsea U21 coach.
“There were countless counter-attacks where he got stopped, pulled down or fouled. He just kept going.
“The great thing about Ayoub is that he’s one of those players that when he gets the ball, you can hear the seats rattle because everyone stands up. It was one of the most exciting things to hear – the anticipation and excitement because Ayoub had the ball.
“It reminds me of the days when I used to watch Pat Nevin and Gianfranco Zola. You need that excitement in football, and that’s what Ayoub is all about. Watching him skip past players and hold off players twice his size – it was a general buzz of seeing him do it.”
Assal continued to kick on this season under Johnnie Jackson despite the Dons needing to recover from relegation and attacking talent Jack Rudoni and Luke McCormick leaving for clubs higher up the football pyramid.
The former England U20 trainee scored 10 goals and picked up five assists this season before the January transfer window rolled around. The club expected to retain the 21-year-old this January. The Dons had not planned to drop below the release clause – our paper understands to be north of £1million – that was included in Assal’s three-year deal, which he signed in the summer of 2021.
But 96 games and 36 goal involvements after his debut against Shrewsbury in March 2021, Assal is set for a fresh challenge.
The Qatari side are third in the league table, just five points off table-toppers Al-Duhail. Their squad features the likes of former Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest midfielder Adlene Gueduoura and ex-Marseille defender Lucas Mendes.
Assal said to our paper in December 2021 that he wanted to represent Morocco – the country where his parents are from.
The Moroccan national team, which finished fourth in the 2022 World Cup, had three players included in the 26-man squad who currently ply their trade at clubs in the Middle East.
“Taking into account his age, where he had come from, and when I gave him his debut, only a dozen Wimbledon fans had heard his name, he rates right up there [with the very best of the AFC Wimbledon era],” said Robinson of Assa.
“Fundamentally, he has to do what is right for him at this time. I’m sure his talent will shine through and we will see him back in the not-too-distant future.”
