Adil Hermach vowed to help Al Wahda climb the Arabian Gulf League after signing a two-and-ahalf year deal with the Abu Dhabi club on Monday evening.
Hermach arrives for €3 million (Dh15m) from Saudi Arabian giants Al Hilal where he has played since the summer of 2011, barring a loan spell with French club Toulouse at the end of last season.
Wahda had enquired about the 27-year-old prior to that move and returned with a fresh offer once it emerged that Chilean midfielder Marco Estrada would be missing for up to three months.
The Moroccan international is unlikely to feature against Bani Yas on Tuesday night having only been quickly introduced to his new team-mates during training on Monday night, but has been registered in Estrada’s place.
“My hope is not only for myself but for the team. I will try to help lift the club up in the rankings and I will do what I know how to do and I will play with my heart, my football. I will not change,” the France-born midfielder told Sport360°.
“I am very happy to be here at a big club. For a long time I have heard good things about Wahda.
“I have come from one big club to another big club here in the Emirates. I tried to come here before to Wahda but it did not work out.”
What Hermach’s arrival means for Estrada remains unclear. The Chilean is currently recovering from knee surgery in Turkey, and while the club intend to honour his contract – which runs until the summer of 2016 – they now have six foreign players on their books.
Tuesday’s match against Bani Yas at the Al Nahyan Stadium has been brought forward by the Pro League Committee in order to give Al Samawi ample time to prepare for their AFC Champions League qualifiers later this month.
It means Jorge da Silva’s men face two games in six days but the Uruguayan coach is confident his side can cope and refused to rule out a push for the title in the second- half of the season.
“It does not affect the team’s preparations, as the training programme focused on fitness and endurance, so the players performance will not be affected,” he said.
“The programme is ready and going according to schedule, but we give priority for the coming match.
“We’re the team ranked fifth in the league and seek to compete for the title. And we hope that the injury curse, as it was during the first half of the league, is over.”
For Al Wahda fans keen to get an idea of their new man, check out this highlights reel from his time at Al Hilal:
