Thursday 11 February 2016 13:43, UK
Gianfranco Zola believes former Chelsea team-mate John Terry would be a huge hit in Qatar if he decides to end his time at Stamford Bridge.
Blues skipper Terry has hinted he may be off in the summer after failing to receive an offer of a new deal following 18 years with the Londoners.
The 35-year-old former England captain has been linked with a move to the MLS but Al-Arabi manager Zola says the Qatari League would be an ideal destination for Terry.
Zola, voted Chelsea's greatest ever player in 2003, said: "When we talk about John Terry, we are talking about a big player, big name and I believe a player of this stature is not of interest only for a team, but also for the whole league.
"I believe the Qatari league is a league that wants to grow bigger so I believe there might be interest not only from Al-Arabi but there might be interest from all the Qatari league."
Terry is just three games away from playing his 700th match for Chelsea in a career stretching back to October 1998.
During that time he has won four Premier League titles, five FA Cups, three League Cups, the 2012 Champions League and the 2013 Europa League.
Press speculation has already linked him to a big-money move to Al-Arabi, who are fifth in the Qatar Stars League, one place behind Al Sadd, the team for which Xavi Hernandez plays.
Qatar is eager to attract more big names to play in its domestic league in the run-up to the 2022 World Cup.
However, Zola has warned they would face competition from other emerging markets for Terry's services.
"He's been linked not only to Qatar, he's been linked also to the MLS, to China." he added. "It's more difficult for any league if there is a league like China which has invested so much money. It will be more competition for Qatar, for leagues in Europe."
