The departure of Elye Wahi looked like an omen for struggles to come at Montpellier.
The striker had been piling up goals last season — 19 in 33 French league matches — drawing the interest of some big clubs in Europe before he ultimately joined rival Lens for an estimated 35 million euros ($38 million), the second biggest transfer in league history between two French clubs.
And with forward Stephy Mavididi also leaving, Montpellier seemed in trouble.
But knowing it could not keep the coveted Wahi one more season, Montpellier’s scouts had carefully planned their search for a replacement.
Even before Wahi left last week, the family-owned soccer club in southern France signed two low-profile recruits to add spark up front. The moves brought instant rewards, with the pair taking the spotlight the last two weeks in France.
Jordan winger Mousa Al Tamari, who was lured from Belgian club Leuven, and Akor Adams have teamed up to score five goals in Montpellier’s opening two games, with the 2012 champions sitting fourth in the standings ahead of Sunday’s home game against Reims.
Leader Monaco is at Nantes on Friday, while defending champion Paris Saint-Germain will be looking for a first win this season against Lens on Saturday.
Adams, who joined from Norwegian club Lillestrom, started his French league career with two goals in a 2-2 draw with Le Havre, then added another in a 4-1 rout of Lyon last week when Al Tamari found the target twice.
Al Tamari, the first Jordanian to play in the French league, was nicknamed the “Jordanian Messi” for his technical skills when he played for APOEL Nicosia before his three-year stint in Belgium.
“I like one-on-one play, I dribble well, I’m quick with the ball at my feet,” he told the French league’s website. “But I also like combining a lot, playing one-twos and playing well as a team. Don’t think that I only play on my own side. I’ve sometimes helped out up front, but I’m a wing player. After that, like in Belgium, I can start on the right and work my way back into the middle. But I’ll do what the coach asks me to do, whatever will be most useful for the team.”
Against Lyon, Al Tamari’s flair and pace were on display when he netted his first goal after he nutmegged defender Duje Caleta-Car, then doubled his tally with a precise finish.
“I’d like to score more goals and provide more assists. Quite simply, my aim is to do better than I did in Belgium in every area,” he said.
Al Tamari cited the warm welcome he received from his teammates as a crucial reason for his quick adaptation to the French league.
“They’re not just good players, they’re also lads who have done everything to help me from Day 1,” he said. “It’s the opposite of what I experienced when I arrived in Belgium, where it was much colder. Here, everyone comes to talk to me, everyone tries to include me. I’m not alone - they try to make me feel like part of the family. It makes me want to give everything on the field to help the club.”
His coach, Michel Der Zakarian, praises his work ethics and great technique.
“He’s a hard worker and he’s got speed,” he said. “He dribbles. He’s quick with and without the ball. He can score and he’s shown it.”
Adams has a much different profile. The powerfully-built striker was hired to play in a pivotal role after a stunning season in Norway when he scored 15 goals in as many league games. Like Al Tamari, he also quickly settled at his new club.
“When you’re a goalscorer, you score,” Der Zakarian said of Adams. “And he showed that he’s capable of doing that.”
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