KUALA LUMPUR — Argentine-born striker Fernando Forestieri will remain with 10-time Super League champions, Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), along with three new import players for the 2024-2025 season.
Just two weeks after announcing the departure of the 34-year-old ‘hitman,’ JDT made a reversal to retain the player.
JDT chief executive officer Alistair Edwards said the decision was made following discussions between Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, who is the club owner, Forestieri, and himself.
“The forward will remain in the JDT squad, in addition to three new foreign players, to strategically strengthen the team in certain positions for the 2024-25 season,” he said in a statement posted on JDT’s official social media platforms, Johor Southern Tigers, today.
On January 7, JDT announced the farewell of Forestieri, who joined the club at the beginning of the 2022 season, citing club restructuring.
Forestieri was part of the Southern Tigers squad that made history by winning the ‘double treble’ in the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Able to play as both a striker and a left-winger, he scored 47 goals and provided 21 assists in 69 appearances with JDT.
The former Italy Under-21 player had previously been associated with several clubs in Europe,
including Malaga, Watford, and Udinese. — January 21, 2024