Video: Watkins reveals the reason for his move to the Saudi league and makes his first promise to Al-Hilal fans
The English striker spoke from the heart
England international Ollie Watkins, the Al-Hilal striker, has revealed the reasons behind his decision to move to the Saudi Roshn League during the current summer transfer window.
Watkins arrived from Aston Villa in the ongoing summer market. He came off the bench to score in the 3-0 win over Al-Ahli last Tuesday, then made his first start without finding the net in yesterday's 2-0 victory over Al-Shabab.
Speaking after the match, in comments carried by the Saudi newspaper "Asharq Al-Awsat", Watkins gave his reasons for the move: "Personally, I wanted to take on a new challenge that was offered to me and my family."
He explained: "We have lived in the United Kingdom our whole lives, and moving here and exploring a new culture is a very wonderful experience."
The striker added: "Everyone welcomed us warmly and were not sparing with any help, and playing for a club the size of Al-Hilal, as the biggest of Saudi Arabia's clubs, is an amazing opportunity for me. I came here to win championships and titles."
On the standard of the league, he continued: "The tempo of play is very good. It is natural for the pace of the match to slow down at times because of the high temperatures, but the league features players of extremely high quality, and I will adapt quickly to the weather conditions."
The English striker also made a promise to the Al-Hilal faithful: "I promise the fans to score plenty of goals."
He went on: "I did not take part in the pre-season preparations, so I am currently working on fully regaining my fitness and physical rhythm. Wait for me soon, as you may see me score more than one goal in a single match in the upcoming games."
Watkins elaborated: "Today I played a full match, in different conditions. There are new elements that recently joined Al-Hilal, and I am one of them, and we are all going through a phase of integration and adaptation at the moment."
He concluded: "The harmony and chemistry between us will certainly develop over time, but the most important thing for us today is to achieve the win and collect all the points."
