Taha Ali is back, and so is the PAOK interest
Taha Ali is fit and available for Saturday's match against IFK Göteborg (1). He confirmed the news himself after the final training session. But he also confirmed something less comfortable: Greek side PAOK are circling, and Ali knows about it.
No deal is done. Gazzetta in Greece put a €2m figure on the table, but Ali was straightforward: an offer has not reached him, and he is not distracted (2). "Det är klart att min agent har koll på sådana saker. Jag kan inte stå och ljuga," he said, meaning his agent is tracking it and he will not lie about it (2).
Diego García is eligible, Busanello and Karabelyov are not
Gaute Helstrup's first match in charge comes with mixed squad news. Diego García, the Spanish striker signed this window, is cleared to play (1). Two regulars are not. Busanello and Karabelyov are both expected to miss the match through injury (1).
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Helstrup watched the Degerfors win from the stands. Saturday is his first time on the touchline as Malmö's head coach, and García gives him a new option in attack alongside Erik Botheim.
Helstrup's debut against a name that matters
IFK Göteborg at home. Your team sits eighth on 16 points from 11 matches, with a plus-one goal difference. Two wins on the bounce after the break. Now a new coach and a rivalry fixture.
Botheim scored the winner at Degerfors. Molins and Chavez have handed over the reins. Helstrup's appointment drew cautious words from some analysts, but the table is tight and a win changes the tone fast.
Fan reactions
Fans on Reddit are split, optimism about Ali's return mixed with the familiar dread of losing a key player to a mid-season sale. The PAOK figure, only €2m, has not gone down well. Several posters pointed out that selling your most electric attacker for that fee, with the team mid-table and a new coach settling in, would be hard to defend.
