LONDON: New coach Jorge Jesus has stamped his mark on his Al-Hilal squad by driving through the transfer of Peru World Cup star Andre Carrillo.
Jesus was unveiled as Al-Hilal boss last month and Carrillo, 27, was one of the prominent names on a shopping list he gave to club president Sami Al-Jaber when he started work and evaluated the squad.
Jesus worked with Carrillo at Sporting Lisbon for one season in 2015/16, the year Sporting finished second behind Benfica by just two points, losing only two games.
Carrillo transfered to Benfica at the end of that season, but he only played 20 times for the Portuguese giants and was loaned to Premier League Watford last summer. He started well in England under the guidance of former coach Marco Silva, but once Silva was fired, Carrillo’s performances tailed off and Watford decided against making the transfer permanent, opting instead to sign Spain international Gerard Deulofeu.
Despite playing all three group games at the World Cup and scoring against Australia, Carrillo still found himself surplus to requirements at Benfica so Al-Hilal have swooped and landed him on a season-long loan deal with an option to buy. The loan fee is being reported as €2.5 million ($2.9 million) while the option-to-buy fee has apparently been set at €20 million.
“André, whom I know from our time at Sporting, was one of four players I requested,” Jesus is reported to have told the press during their training camp in Austria.
Saudi Arabia champions sign Peru World Cup star from Benfica
Saudi Arabia champions sign Peru World Cup star from Benfica
- Andre Carrillo will spend the season on loan at Al-Hilal
- New coach Jorge Jesus pushed for the board to sign the 27-year-old winger
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi grounded in Qatar amid intensifying Iran war
- Al-Khelaifi has been trying to return to Paris ahead of PSG’s Champions League round-of-16 match against Chelsea on Wednesday
- He was trying to get a flight out of Doha on Tuesday evening or Wednesday morningWEST SAI
PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has been left stranded in Qatar amid the war in the Middle East.
Al-Khelaifi has not been able to fly out of Doha for more than a week, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The person spoke on the condition on anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Flights in and out of the Middle East have been impacted by the Iran war, which began the US and Israeli strikes on Feb. 28.
Al-Khelaifi has been trying to return to Paris ahead of PSG’s Champions League round-of-16 match against Chelsea on Wednesday. He was trying to get a flight out of Doha on Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning, the person said.
With only limited space available on commercial flights, passengers have been left waiting until close to take-off if they have been approved to fly.
The ripple effects of the war have spread across the Middle East and beyond with Iran launching retaliatory strikes in the Gulf states. It has upended travel across the region, stranding hundreds of thousands of people.
Airports in the Gulf serve as critical hubs connecting travelers going to Europe, Africa and Asia. Airspace closures have seen many carriers forced to either cancel flights or shift to longer routes.
Last week US citizens described frustrations and growing fear as they encountered closed airports and canceled flights.
But there have been signs that flight disruptions are easing.
The British government said Tuesday that the number of commercial flights from the United Arab Emirates to the UK was returning to normal levels.
The Foreign Office said 32 flights operated from Dubai to Britain on Monday and another 36 were scheduled Tuesday. The British government has also operated a handful of chartered flights from Oman and Dubai, with more than 45,000 UK citizens returning from the Gulf since the conflict began.
PSG are the defending European champion and hosts Chelsea at Parc des Princes in the first leg of the round of 16 tie. The teams play again in London next week.
