Al Ain have struck a significant blow in the transfer market by signing Amer Abdulrahman, one of the UAE’s most prominent players.
The national team midfielder, who turns 27 on July 3, has moved to the Garden City club from Baniyas. He spent seven top-flight seasons with the Abu Dhabi side, making 108 appearances.
Abdulrahman’s future had been the subject of much speculation for the past few years and he has been repeatedly linked with both Al Ain and Al Jazira. He is a close friend of Omar Abdulrahman, his namesake and now club teammate.
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A member of what is widely considered the UAE’s golden generation, Amer Abdulrahman has 44 international caps to date. He played integral roles at the 2012 Olympics, in the UAE’s 2013 Gulf Cup success and the team that took bronze at last year’s Asian Cup.
The capture of Abdulrahman therefore represents a considerable coup for Al Ain, who target a return to the summit of both domestic and continental football. In August, the 2003 Asian champions contest the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Uzbekistan’s Lokomotiv, while a month later they begin their quest to reclaim the Arabian Gulf League title after finishing runners-up to Al Ahli last season.
Abdulrahman, who in 2013 spent two weeks on trial at English Championship side Blackburn Rovers, will replace Fellipe Bastos in the Al Ain midfield, with the Brazilian interesting clubs from Saudi Arabia. However, thus far Al Ain have received no formal offer for the midfielder, who joined the club from Vasco Da Gama last summer.
[ jmcauley@thenational.ae ]
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