Brett Holman is convinced history can repeat itself at Emirates Club after signing off on a transformative two-year, trophy-laden spell at Al Nasr which awoke a sleeping giant.
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Holman, 31, inked a one-season deal with the Ras Al Khaimah-outfit on Saturday night days after skippering his former club to a domestic double with a dramatic penalty-shootout triumph against Al Ahli.
This success followed January’s Arabian Gulf Cup and the 2013/14 GCC Club Cup in his debut season which ended an insufferable 25-year wait for major silverware.
The 63-times-capped former Australia attacking midfielder had a rejuvenating effect on the Blue Wave after he joined following a stint at Aston Villa of the Premier League.
But with no talks forthcoming to extend a rapidly-expiring contract, the prospect of revitalising an ambitious side who last won a trophy with the 2010 President’s Cup and finished 10th in the 2014/15 Arabian Gulf League proved alluring.
"You can almost say a major thing for me going to Emirates Club [is my time at Al Nasr]," Holman told Sport360. "If you look at what Al Nasr stood for when I joined two years ago, they had not won anything for 20-odd years.
"Of course, it wasn’t all my doing. But I was a big part in winning three trophies in two years.
"I think that is a great motivation for Emirates Club that we could do something good with the right mentality and right group.."
The topic of Holman’s future was ever-present during Nasr’s glorious end to the season. The former AZ Alkmaar playmaker insisted all along he was open to remaining at Al Maktoum Stadium, yet the hierarchy never engaged in talks designed to extend his stay.
Big-money offers from China and a return to his native Australia were presented to Holman, though the contentment of his young family in the UAE meant he was more than happy to reject them once the Falcons intensified talks last week.
He said: "It got to a stage where after the President’s Cup and a few celebrations, Emirates Club came in. We had a chat and everything clicked.
"To be honest, I was never told it was the end of the road at Nasr. There was not a stage where there was any sort of explanation or something like that, a chat. You can wait and wait and wait, but I had the best feeling with Emirates."
Holman begins pre-season training with Paulo Comelli’s men early next month.
