A transfer with wide repercussions was concluded this week in\u00a0Saudi Arabia.
\nIt did not pertain to the latest globally renowned name to sweep into the Kingdom. This one had a distinctly, local flavour.
\nAl Hilal hoovering up premium talent is an age-old story. Rarely, though, have the record 16-time Saudi Professional League champions completed deals with bigger ramifications than their acquisition of Al Shabab prospect Abdullah Al Hamdan.
\nUnmatched influence upon Saudi Arabia\u2019s prospects are dictated by the 21-year-old\u2019s progress, or lack thereof, in the coming years.
\nReach his potential and the Green Falcons hold a long-term answer to their problem position. Suffer arrested development, however, and the ascension initiated by Bert van Marwijk for the World Cup 2018 cycle will continue to stutter.
\nIt is not hyperbole to declare Al Hamdan could be Asian football\u2019s defining player for the 2020s \u2013 for good, or bad. A bold statement, of course, not based on current attainment.
\nSon Heung-min\u2019s crown won\u2019t be relinquished anytime soon taken by a striker with just two goals in 15 SPL games this term.
\nBut rare ability is exemplified by eight assists from these appearances. A tally two greater than any other player in the division, plus three greater than combined outputs of celebrated future team-mates Andre Carrillo (three) and Sebastian Giovinco (two).
\nA return of four strikes from 11 caps also exemplifies bountiful promise, plus a lineage which includes ex-Shabab Abdulrahman Al-Hamdan as his father.
\n\u270d? AlHamdan is Hilali for Five Years ?#AlHilal #AlHilal_Infographic pic.twitter.com\/vQshNEsTeB— AlHilal Saudi Club (@Alhilal_EN) January 26, 2021
\nIt is simple to understand why Hilal were so eager to secure a\u00a0five-year contract once the ex-Sporting Gijon loanee becomes a free agent in the summer.\u00a0Especially in the face of\u00a0great rivals Al Nassr\u2019s aggressive Saudi recruitment drive.
\nIt is also simple to see why Al Hamdan has been pegged as the belated figure to fire the Saudis to a first\u00a0Asian Cup success since 1996,\u00a0or\u00a0maintain their spot at the World Cup after a painful 12-year absence.
\nIt was at the global tournament in Russia where inadequacies up top became apparent.
\nMohammad Al Sahlawi went from 16-goal hero of the qualifying campaign, to a forlorn presence. He\u2019s not played internationally since.
\nThis was already a tournament too far for ageing 2014 AFC Player of the Year Nasser Al Shamrani.
\nSaudi Arabia would then go into the 2019 Asian Cup with electric Al Ittihad winger Fahad Al Muwallad as a \u2018false 9\u2019. They would exit, unsatisfyingly, at the round of 16.
\nEnter Al Hamdan. He\u2019s been a bright spot throughout Herve Renard\u2019s, coronavirus-interrupted, tenure.
\nHis opening years in Shabab\u2019s first team, though, have been less predictable. Impacted by the SPL\u2019s expansion to seven foreign players, opportunities up top are limited.
\nOnly 55.8 per cent of his 43 top-flight run-outs have been starts. A tale repeated across a division where none of the 16 teams has an undisputed Saudi starter up front for 2020\/21.
\nAbdullah Al Hamdan celebrates (c) versus Al Wehda (EPA).
\nThis competition will be further intensified at Hilal, where mere domestic dominance is never enough.
\nEx-France centre forward Bafetimbi Gomis has proved an immovable object to the 27-year-old Saleh Al Shehri, a Saudi striker who scored an exceptional 16 times in 25 SPL matches for Al Raed throughout 2018\/19. This figure from just one season is more than three times Al Hamdan\u2019s career total (five).
\nA dream scenario is that Al Hamdan receives an invaluable education alongside Gomis throughout next season, before taking over when the\u00a0veteran\u2019s lucrative contract expires in June 2022.
\nBut is it realistic at a club which demands the absolute best for their storied \u2018No9\u2019 position? Al Hamdan, in the era of seven foreigners, will have to do something utterly extraordinary to convince them not to buy a non-Saudi of similarly exalted standing to Gomis.
\nA situation, then, with plentiful possible outcomes. The whole of Saudi Arabian \u2013 and Asian \u2013 football should watch how it plays out with interest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A transfer with wide repercussions was concluded this week in\u00a0Saudi Arabia.
\nIt did not pertain to the latest globally renowned name to sweep into the Kingdom. This one had a distinctly, local flavour.
\nAl Hilal hoovering up premium talent is an age-old story. Rarely, though, have the record 16-time Saudi Professional League champions completed deals with bigger ramifications than their acquisition of Al Shabab prospect Abdullah Al Hamdan.
\nUnmatched influence upon Saudi Arabia\u2019s prospects are dictated by the 21-year-old\u2019s progress, or lack thereof, in the coming years.
\nReach his potential and the Green Falcons hold a long-term answer to their problem position. Suffer arrested development, however, and the ascension initiated by Bert van Marwijk for the World Cup 2018 cycle will continue to stutter.
\nIt is not hyperbole to declare Al Hamdan could be Asian football\u2019s defining player for the 2020s \u2013 for good, or bad. A bold statement, of course, not based on current attainment.
\nSon Heung-min\u2019s crown won\u2019t be relinquished anytime soon taken by a striker with just two goals in 15 SPL games this term.
\nBut rare ability is exemplified by eight assists from these appearances. A tally two greater than any other player in the division, plus three greater than combined outputs of celebrated future team-mates Andre Carrillo (three) and Sebastian Giovinco (two).
\nA return of four strikes from 11 caps also exemplifies bountiful promise, plus a lineage which includes ex-Shabab Abdulrahman Al-Hamdan as his father.
\n\u270d? AlHamdan is Hilali for Five Years ?#AlHilal #AlHilal_Infographic pic.twitter.com\/vQshNEsTeB\u2014 AlHilal Saudi Club (@Alhilal_EN) January 26, 2021
\nIt is simple to understand why Hilal were so eager to secure a\u00a0five-year contract once the ex-Sporting Gijon loanee becomes a free agent in the summer.\u00a0Especially in the face of\u00a0great rivals Al Nassr\u2019s aggressive Saudi recruitment drive.
\nIt is also simple to see why Al Hamdan has been pegged as the belated figure to fire the Saudis to a first\u00a0Asian Cup success since 1996,\u00a0or\u00a0maintain their spot at the World Cup after a painful 12-year absence.
\nIt was at the global tournament in Russia where inadequacies up top became apparent.
\nMohammad Al Sahlawi went from 16-goal hero of the qualifying campaign, to a forlorn presence. He\u2019s not played internationally since.
\nThis was already a tournament too far for ageing 2014 AFC Player of the Year Nasser Al Shamrani.
\nSaudi Arabia would then go into the 2019 Asian Cup with electric Al Ittihad winger Fahad Al Muwallad as a \u2018false 9\u2019. They would exit, unsatisfyingly, at the round of 16.
\nEnter Al Hamdan. He\u2019s been a bright spot throughout Herve Renard\u2019s, coronavirus-interrupted, tenure.
\nHis opening years in Shabab\u2019s first team, though, have been less predictable. Impacted by the SPL\u2019s expansion to seven foreign players, opportunities up top are limited.
\nOnly 55.8 per cent of his 43 top-flight run-outs have been starts. A tale repeated across a division where none of the 16 teams has an undisputed Saudi starter up front for 2020\/21.
\nAbdullah Al Hamdan celebrates (c) versus Al Wehda (EPA).
\nThis competition will be further intensified at Hilal, where mere domestic dominance is never enough.
\nEx-France centre forward Bafetimbi Gomis has proved an immovable object to the 27-year-old Saleh Al Shehri, a Saudi striker who scored an exceptional 16 times in 25 SPL matches for Al Raed throughout 2018\/19. This figure from just one season is more than three times Al Hamdan\u2019s career total (five).
\nA dream scenario is that Al Hamdan receives an invaluable education alongside Gomis throughout next season, before taking over when the\u00a0veteran\u2019s lucrative contract expires in June 2022.
\nBut is it realistic at a club which demands the absolute best for their storied \u2018No9\u2019 position? Al Hamdan, in the era of seven foreigners, will have to do something utterly extraordinary to convince them not to buy a non-Saudi of similarly exalted standing to Gomis.
\nA situation, then, with plentiful possible outcomes. The whole of Saudi Arabian \u2013 and Asian \u2013 football should watch how it plays out with interest.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28009"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28009"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28009\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28012,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28009\/revisions\/28012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}