Fardan aims to fulfil title dream at Al Ahli

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  • Hot property: Al Ahli unveiled Habib Al Fardan yesterday.

    New Al Ahli signing Habib Al Fardan believes his quest for a first domestic title will be fulfilled this season now that he has joined the Red Knights.

    The UAE international was yesterday unveiled at the Rashid Stadium after completing a move from Al Nasr, which he had joined in 2009. 

    Al Fardan, 23, was the hottest property on the market this summer and following months of speculation, the midfielder finally inked a deal that will keep him at Ahli for four years.

    Throughout his five seasons with the Blue Wave, Al Fardan only captured one title – the GCC Club Cup.

    While he has had more success on the international stage, having participated in the London 2012 Olympics and being part of the UAE’s Gulf Cup-winning team in Bahrain last year, he admits his dream of winning a maiden local competition has driven him to choose the Arabian Gulf League champions, who pulled off an impressive treble last season. 

    “This year the challenge will be big for us. Last season Ahli won three titles so this year they’ll be looking to defend these titles. We also have the Asian competition. For me, it will be a new challenge. Until now, I have never won a domestic title and this year my ambition is to win my first title with Ahli,” said Al Fardan.

    “At the end of the day, any player dreams of winning a title, domestically or internationally. I think Ahli has bigger chances to win titles, the environment at the club, the coach, the players… all the factors are there in order for us to win championships.”

    Al Fardan might need to fight for his spot amongst a strong Ahli midfield that includes the likes of Luis Jimenez, Mirel Radoi and Majed Hassan, but he insists he is up for the challenge.

    “It’s an honour to play with the huge players available at Ahli. I know most of them well because they are my team-mates in the national team,” he added. 

    “This strong competition between us will only benefit the team. Ultimately, the coach (Cosmin Olaroiu) is the one who will be making decisions on who will start.” 

    Al Fardan, who started his career by progressing through the ranks at Al Wasl, made 25 appearances for Nasr last season, scoring nine goals.

    He says he was planning on staying at Nasr to complete the year he had left on his contract but was surprised when he received numerous offers during the summer.

    Ahli CEO Ahmed Khalifa Hammad, was happy the talented midfielder opted to move to the Rashid Stadium and believes he will prove to be a great asset for the club.

    “Habib needs no introduction as a player whether at club level or national team level. We’re happy he’s joining our host of stars at Al Ahli and are certain he will be a vital part of our team,” said Hammad.

    “I think this is a deal that had lots of chatter and media coverage around it. Today, following the return of the national team from their camp in Europe, we can confirm that Habib will join the team in their training session this afternoon.”

    Asked whether the Fardan signing was more to make sure that no other team would scoop him, Hammad said: “All clubs strive to improve their squads. In the transfer market, some players came to Ahli, others left. Professional football is about the transfer market. It’s not about preventing other teams from having top players.

    “We would never sign a player just for the sake of it. We signed him because we believe he will improve our squad.”

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