Maccabi Tel Aviv captain Dor Peretz flew out Thursday morning for Croatia, where he is expected to sign a two-year deal with Dinamo Zagreb. People close to Peretz said they were not surprised, and one source told Walla Sport that he had already decided during a trip to Europe with his wife about 10 days earlier that he would leave if a significant European offer arrived.
According to that source, Peretz was deeply hurt by the situation around him, especially the long wait for Maccabi Tel Aviv, the club’s failure to match his terms from last season, and the drawn-out saga over his future. The source said Peretz gave the club plenty of time, waited until after the season and even after the team won the State Cup, but once it became clear the club was not moving close to his previous level, he asked to advance offers from abroad.
Peretz traveled with his wife and agent Avi Naimi, and player agent Boaz Goren also joined them. The group landed in Warsaw and continued to Croatia. At this stage, it is unclear whether Maccabi Tel Aviv can still reverse the move, and the club may already have missed its chance to keep him.
Maccabi Tel Aviv fans reacted angrily on social media and in WhatsApp groups, criticizing the club for failing to end the matter positively with last season’s standout player. The 31-year-old finished the season as the Israeli Premier League’s top scorer with 19 goals, including eight in the championship round, and said after winning the scoring title, “It is an achievement for me. It is not trivial, you do not see this often in the world. I did not imagine this was possible.” He also has offers from Ferencvaros, Omonia Nicosia and Pafos, while Beitar Jerusalem is still interested.
