Saudi star Saud Abdulhamid joins the Giallorossi | OneFootball

August is always a busy time for football clubs, players and fans. With the new season now underway, supporters must keep up to date with the games, the latest news regarding transfers, and odds available at the best betting sites with welcome bonuses.

Following a shaky start on the pitch, the Giallorrossi faithful understandably have an eye on who may be coming and going in the final days of the transfer window.

The rumour mill spins at an unrelenting pace at this time of year, producing an array of names – most of which will come to nothing. However, sometimes the latest rumours progress to concrete signings, and Tuesday, 27th of August, saw Roma confirm their latest addition, as 25-year-old Saud Abdulhamid signed on the dotted line.

From Al-Hilal to a Place in the History Books

Joining Roma from Saudi champions Al-Hilal for a reported fee of €2.5 million (potentially rising to €3 million if performance objectives are met), Abdulhamid becomes the first Saudi player to sign for a club in any of the top European leagues.

This transfer represents a proud moment for the 36-cap Saudi Arabia international, who sounded delighted to take this next step in his career when stating, “I thank God for being here. I thank the club, the Friedkin family and the fans for the trust they have shown in me and for giving me this opportunity.”, and “Roma is a great club, I received this offer, and I couldn’t turn down such an important club.”

What to Expect

Saud is predominantly deployed at right-back but can play on the left if required – a versatility which likely enhanced his appeal to Daniele De Rossi. Asked to sum up his qualities, Abdulhamid stated, “I will do my best as a footballer. My characteristics are speed, I like to play across the right wing, I like to fight with my heart for every ball and never give up.”

That speed and heart were key attributes in the success of Al-Halal last season, with Abdulhamid’s all-round game, plus three goals and five assists in 32 appearances, helping the club to claim the Saudi Pro League title by a huge 14 points.

The Appeal of Roma

Picking up two Saudi League titles, two King Cups, and two Saudi Super Cups during his time at Al-Hilal, Saud leaves behind a talented squad including players such as Neymar, Kalidou Koulibaly, Rúben Neves, Aleksandar Mitrović, and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, with the player recognising his former teammates when saying “In my time at Al Hilal I played with great players and I learned a lot from them, professionalism and above all I acquired a great mentality from them.”

With a host of clubs interested in obtaining his signature, what tipped the balance in favour of a new life in Rome? The prestige of playing in Serie A seems likely to have played a significant role, and the likeable fullback also received advice from the manager of the Saudi Arabia national side, with Abdulhamid continuing, “Roberto Mancini is a great coach, he advised me to choose Roma, God willing I will do my best with Roma.”

Abdulhamid’s footballing hero will also be familiar to Roma fans. “There are many players I admire, but my idol is a former Roma player, A very strong footballer, Maicon.” Lining up in the same position as Abdulhamid, the Brazilian appeared 57 times for the club between 2013 and 2016.

Whether Saud can go on to achieve anything like the success of the four-time Serie A and Champions League winner remains to be seen, but he recognised the task when summing up the challenge as, “I will have to adapt to Europe, to this new lifestyle quickly, it is a big change for me to move from Arabia to here, I will do my best to settle into this new life immediately.”