Hapoel Jerusalem captain Ovakha Ashta is on the verge of signing with Georgian club Dinamo Batumi and is expected to join after his contract expires. The club plans to part ways with him at the end of the week.
Professional director Shai Aharon told supporters that Ashta had just left his home after a consultation, update and farewell before a move overseas. “We very much want him to stay at Hapoel, of course, the door is always open for him and I am sure he will walk back through it,” Aharon said. “For now, we will accompany him with love for an important break for him. We will keep our fingers crossed that the move succeeds.”
Aharon said Ashta’s departure was part of a broader, intentional summer process, alongside recent exits by Badash, Harel, Ibi and Roel. He said more departures are coming, but these are planned moves under the club’s work plan, not players being taken away without compensation.
He added that Hapoel Jerusalem is heading into a major change, possibly “a season late,” after learning lessons from last season. The club hoped to keep the existing core on a smaller budget, but the difficult year showed the squad had reached its limit. Some newer players who did not meet expectations will also leave.
With a new coach wanting a different style, Aharon said more arrivals are expected through the summer. The club hopes to finalize deals soon with several local squad players, plus three leading foreign signings, in addition to Dmesqan, for key attacking roles, and another midfielder. He invited fans to the association members’ meeting next Friday.
