Maccabi Tel Aviv will officially begin preseason training on Monday evening at Kiryat Shalom, but the biggest question hanging over the club is whether captain and top scorer Dor Peretz will stay for the coming season. According to people close to him, Peretz has been wrestling in recent days with a very difficult choice after returning from Zagreb.
A source close to the captain said Peretz has received three significant high-paying offers from abroad in addition to Maccabi Tel Aviv’s proposal. “Dor has been breaking his head in recent days and this is not an easy decision for him,” the source said. “The offers from Europe are higher than Maccabi Tel Aviv’s, but Maccabi is home. This is the State of Israel, so he did not know what to decide in recent days, and that is why it is taking him so long.” Both the European clubs and Maccabi Tel Aviv want an answer as soon as possible.
A Maccabi source said the club has made Peretz a strong offer and that, with bonuses, he can earn no less than elsewhere. “This is his decision and he needs to answer soon. Maccabi Tel Aviv will of course be happy to see him continue with it for years to come,” the source said. Peretz trained this morning with Israel national team fitness coach Eran Shado and Oscar Gloukh at a practice field near the new stadium in Rehovot, close to Gloukh’s parents’ home, while Gloukh is still on vacation in Israel.
Separately, Maccabi Tel Aviv announced the signing of Eran Ginat to a three-year contract with an option for one more year. Ginat joined the club’s youth system at age 13 and rose steadily through the ranks. Over the past two seasons he played for the youth team, scoring three goals in 27 appearances in all competitions. After signing, he said: “Since the day I joined Maccabi at 13, I had a goal and a dream, and I’m happy that I am getting closer to realizing them with the signing of my first professional contract. From here, there is a lot of work ahead so I can progress as high as possible.”
