Dubai - A leading UAE football analyst has warned Bruno Metsu he would be "crazy" to succeed Diego Maradona as Al Wasl manager, a claim reinforced by the former coach's allegations the club were not prepared to back him in the transfer market.

The Argentine was dismissed on Tuesday night midway through his two-year contract, with Ismail Rashid, the former Wasl captain who now sits on board, confirming to The National the decision was a unanimous one.

Mohammed bin Dukhan, vice chairman of Al Wasl Football Company, has revealed a shortlist exists of "four or five names", yet Metsu was the only candidate named.

The Frenchman is no stranger to UAE football, having guided Al Ain to the 2003 Asian Champions League title before leading the UAE national team to the 2007 Gulf Cup crown.

However, Kefah Al Kaabi, a respected voice within UAE football, believes given the timing of the change and the standard of the current squad - Wasl finished eighth in the Pro League last season - Metsu would be wise to reject the club's advances.

"If Metsu is intelligent, he's not going to take the job with the club in such bad shape," Al Kaabi said. "All teams started preparing for the new season two months ago and have brought in good local players and the best ones from overseas.

"The only one that hasn't is Wasl. Time is not on their side; Metsu would have too many things to do.

"He could be a good choice in the future as he's been here and worked in Qatar and Saudi, and knows the mentality of the players.

"But if he's smart he'll stay away this time. If you don't give him the tools to achieve his goals then he'd be crazy to lead a team like Wasl. Everything is against him."

Al Kaabi insists Wasl have sounded out "one or two options" in Brazil and criticised the board for not dismissing Maradona immediately after last season.

Rashid, though, defended Wasl's judgment.

"The decision is the right one. Everybody agreed," he said. "This didn't come from one person; there were a lot of meetings and we made the choice everyone wanted.

"As [Bin Dukhan] said, the club had not improved on the technical side.

"We're not talking about the image; for raising the club's profile Maradona was one of the best. But on the pitch we are looking for better things. We thank Maradona for the job he did, yet this is professional life. This is football."

Maradona, though, released a statement on his website insisting strained negotiations regarding new signings led to his dismissal.

Wasl recently decided, against his wishes, not to retain winger Mohammed Reza Khalatbari.

"The fact is that in the last days we had been talking to try to come to an agreement regarding the purchase of new players, which is a requirement to be able to win the league with great results," the statement read.

"If it is impossible for the club to buy new players because they lack the funds to do it, there will always be the possibility to discuss this together with the board to try to find solutions.