Omar will help us conquer Asia again: Al Hilal official

Apart from signing Omar Abdulrahman, Al Hilal have also roped in former Benfica coach Jorge Jesus (in picture) from Sporting Lisbon.

Record Saudi Professional League champions Al Hilal have said that the signing of star playmaker Omar Abdulrahman from Arabian Gulf League champions Al Ain will help them mount a fresh challenge in Asia.

The 15-time winners landed the 2016 Asian Player of the Year on a season-long loan, with the club officially confirming his acquisition on Thursday. The Saudi Arabian giants paid a record ?15 million for Omar, making it the second most expensive deal in world football after Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain joined AC Milan on loan from rivals and Serie A champions Juventus for ?18 million.

"We have shown that we are committed to bringing in the best players we can," an Al Hilal official was quoted as saying to Arab News.

"We won the league title in May but since then we have been recruiting top-class players from South America and Europe, we have the best Saudi Arabian players and now we have the best player from our region. "This signing shows that we want to become the best team in Asia once again," the official added.

Al Hilal have won the AFC Champions League twice, but that was long ago in 1991 and 2000. Since then, they have finished runners-up in 1986, 1987, 2014 and 2017. Apart from hiring former Benfica coach Jorge Jesus from Sporting Lisbon, Al Hilal have brought in strong reinforcements like winger Andre Carrillo, who scored for Peru in the World Cup.

About the astonishing amount spent, the official said: "We are an international standard team with international standard players and that means often you have to pay prices that reflect that. With Abdulrahman, we can look forward to the season with confidence and excitement."

Omar, who is set to link up with Omar Khribin, the 2017 Asian Player of the Year, is likely to make his debut in the Saudi Super Cup against King Cup winners Al Ittihad at Loftus Road, London, the home of Queens Park Rangers, on August 18.

james@khaleejtimes.com