Arsenal have been thorough in their scouting system in the middle east, and have shortlisted winger Omar Abdulrahman who plies his trade for his native side Al Ain, offering him a week-long trial at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners have been struggling in the transfer market to lock in on any of their prime targets. The supporters are happy about the fact that there have been no high-profile departures from the first team squad. Arsene Wenger has confirmed that there will be a few departures, but not affecting the starting eleven by any means.
Gervinho is the latest to be moved as his transfer to AS Roma has been confirmed, but the Ivorian never established his place as a regular starter at the club. Wenger confirmed that the Nicklas Bendtner saga has seen no movement recently, and it seems the striker will be staying if nothing concrete is presented by an interested party. Andre Santos sealed his move to Flamengo after having struggled with the intensity of the Barclays Premier League. Lastly, Marouane Chamakh is also on the verge of completing a move to Crystal Palace.
Omar has had an illustrious career so far in the Middle East, and has been recognized as a major talent and ambassador for the region. He began his career at Al Hilal in 2000 as a youth player, and spent five years developing his game at the club’s youth academy. He was then recruited by Al Ain in 2007, where he again joined the youth ranks to further his game. The club then offered him a professional contract, which he duly signed to begin his professional career. Ever since, he has played 58 matches for the club, scoring 21 goals in the process. He was also offered a trial by Manchester City in 2012, which he attended, but could not sign a contract due to work permit issues.
According to ESPN, Al Ain’s deputy chairman Rashid bin Mubarak Al Hajri confirmed Arsenal’s interest in offering a trial to the 21-year old winger, along with other clubs who are also showing interest.
The deputy chairman said, “Have we had an offer from Arsenal for him to come train? Then yes.”
“We’ve also had offers from Spanish teams, and other teams also, but the player will decide ultimately.”
“We got a lot of offers for Omar. If he finds the right environment, then we will be very supportive. It’s a package that will have to be right, where he can improve his football. I’ll leave that for Omar – that’s for him to decide.”