# Dickson Nwakaeme, Matias Conti and Damion Stewart are history
# Elephants name new-look squad for their M-League campaign
The names Dickson Nwakaeme, Matias Conti and Damion Stewart lighted up the M-League while playing for Pahang but they are all history now.
Instead of them Pahang hope to write a new chapter with new names like Slovenian defender Nejc Potokar, Brazilian and Argentine strikers Felipe Alves and German Pacheco. The trio will joining Pakistan defender Zesh Rehman who has been retained in the new look squad.
Also gone are head coach Zainal Abidin Hassan whose move to Selangor is shrouded with controversy – replacing Australian Mehmet Durakovic who won the prestigious Malaysia Cup for the Red Giants with a 2-0 win over Kedah in the final on Dec 12.
Zainal took with him to Selangor four key players – goalkeeper Khairul Azhan Khalid, defender Razman Roslan, Hafiz Kamal (midfielder) and R. Gopinathan. Pahang also lost winger Azamuddin Akil to reigning Super League champions Johor Darul Takzim (JDT).
Pahang have replaced Zainal with his assistant Ahmad Shaharudin Rosdi who has taken up the challenge to rebuild the Elephants into a formidable side in the M-League after a miserable season in 2015 – finishing empty handed. In the process Pahang surrendered the Malaysia Cup and the FA Cup.
Shaharudin believes that the three new foreigners are an asset to the team and “perfect replacement” for those who have been dropped.
Also in Shaharudin’s package are trusted and seasoned names like Saiful Nizam Miswan (defender), Mathew Davies who was named as the Most Promising Player in last year’s national football awards, goalkeeper Nasril Nordin who hails from Perak, local favourite Fauzi Roslan (striker).
THE PAHANG SQUAD FOR 2016
GOALKEEPERS: Nasril Nourdin, Daniel Wafiuddin Sadun, Saufi Mohamad
DEFENDERS: Saiful Nizam Miswan, Shahrizan Salleh, Mohamad Ridhwan Maidin, Mathew Davies, Ashar Al-Aafiz Abdullah, Zesh Rehman, Nejc Potokar, Faisal Rosli
MIDFIELDERS: D. Saarvindran, Nor Azam Abdul Azih, Rizua Shafiqi Kamarulzaman, Shah Amirul Zamri, Faisal Abdul Halim, A. Salomon Raj, M. Kogieswaran Raj, R. Dinesh, Hariz Mohd Nazri
STRIKERS: Fauzi Roslan, Faizal Abdul Rani, Amirul Kasmuri, Shafie Zahari, German Pacheco, Felipe Alves
