Malmö make Chanko choice

Malmö FF have agreed a deal to sign the highly rated Djurgårdens IF midfield player Louay Chanko.

Title winner
The 23-year-old was part of the Djurgården side that won the 2002 Swedish championship, although he did start a number of games on the bench. On agreeing the Malmö move with new coach Tom Prahl, he hoped he would get more of a chance to impress from the kick-off.

High hopes
"I've been greeted with a lot of respect and kindness and I think that I will develop as a player under Prahl's guidance," Chanko said. He had spent just one season at Djurgården, after signing from Syrianska, scoring six goals in 26 games.

'Good technique'
"He's got a lot of pace and stamina, and he's very versatile as he can play both to the right and left as well as in the middle," said Prahl. "He's got good technique and creativity and that is something we'll benefit from."

New arrivals
Malmö FF finished the season one place and six points behind champions Djurgården, with 46 points from their 26 games. Prahl hopes the new arrivals in his team, including IFK Norrköping defender Kristian Bergström who arrived last month, will help his side go one better next time around. "We've improved the quality of the squad," he said. "The first year at a club there's not much you can do. Now we've released some players and I'm very pleased."