Al Hazem look to RSL veterans to fire their top-flight targets | OneFootball

Having earned promotion back to the Roshn Saudi League at the first time of asking, Al Hazem have no intention of relinquishing their status in the top tier any time soon.

It was a hard-fought return for the team from Ar Rass, finishing third in the Saudi First Division League and having to navigate the play-offs, where they ultimately defeated Al Adalah 3-0 in the final at the end of May.

But from that game to their opening match in the 2025-26 RSL almost two weeks ago – they drew 1-1 draw at Damac, missing out on three points in dramatic fashion - much has changed at the club. And a lot of it has come in the attacking third of the pitch.

Moving on their entire foreign contingent, Al Hazem have focused their recruitment drive on getting experience through the door, particularly in RSL know-how – and, in that regard, they could hardly have done any better.

At the head of their attack now is a trio with 16 years’ experience combined of the Saudi Arabian top flight, with more than 350 appearances among them. Perhaps more importantly, there’s more 200 goals. There’s no acclimatisation required for this trio: just plug and play.

The talented treble, of course, is Amir Sayoud, formerly of Al Taif and Al Raed, Fabio Martins, who previously represented Al Shabab and Al Khaleej, and none other than the RSL’s all-time leading goalscorer, Omar Al Somah.

Put together, they form a formidable force, one that Al Hazem will be hoping can fire them up the table as they look for their highest-placed finish since 2009-10, when they came home an impressive seventh in the table.

Since then, however, it’s been more of a struggle. Only once since have they managed back-to-back seasons in the top flight - in 2018-19 and 2019-20 - but in both of those they did end up in the relegation zone.

Al Hazem survived in 2018-19 only after winning a relegation play-off against Al Khaleej, but they have become something of a yo-yo club, bouncing up and down between the RSL and the Saudi First Division League.

Most probably, that’s why they have turned to Sayoud, Martins and Al Somah, not to mention other summer-window recruits such as Frenchman Loreintz Rosier, South African international Elias Mokwana and Cape Verde international Bruno Varela.

But it’s the triple threat of the RSL veterans that Al Hazem will be counting on for survival, with each of them bringing somewhat different qualities.

At 36, Al Somah is the elder statesmen. As the all-time leading scorer in the league, he showed in the second half of last season at Al Orobah that he still has what it takes to deliver at this level. Signed in January, the former Al Ahli star netted 11 times in 17 RSL appearances.

As such, he remains at the top of the all-time charts, five ahead of fellow three-time golden boot Abderrazak Hamdallah, who will be hoping to fire the goals at Al Shabab to eventually usurp the Syrian. The two meet directly when RSL action returns on Friday.

What also sustains, is that Al Somah’s mere presence creates a headache for defenders; they understand they cannot give him an inch around the penalty area, such is his predatory nature.

To a certain degree, the same goes for Sayoud, who last season registered eight goals and seven assists for relegated Al Raed. Sayoud can operate across the front three but seems set to either play alongside Al Somah or just off him. Nonetheless, he's embarking on his fifth consecutive RSL campaign.

Martins, meanwhile, is an out-and-out winger: his distinctive hair flying in the wind as he runs at defenders has become an iconic sight in the league since he joined Al Khaleej four seasons ago. Previous that that, Martins spent a year at Al Shabab for the 2020-21 campaign.

Another newbie at Al Hazem, manager Jalel Kadri opted to deploy Martins up front with Sayoud in a 4-4-2 in that opening game, with Al Somah coming off the bench.

While the latter’s position may have come as a surprise, it might be partly explained by the lateness of his signing – he signed right before the new season kicked off – and arrival into the team.

That said, the Damac encounter produced mixed results for the experienced trio. Martins took his opportunity from the spot, scoring the opening goal of the 2025-26 campaign, but Al Somah missed his penalty late on - and with it the chance to secure an early three points.

Not long after, the hosts went down the other end and equalised for the 1-1 result. The clock read 98 minutes.

Yet it was an otherwise positive showing. Certainly, there were enough promising signs to suggest this approach might pay dividends for Al Hazem this season, with Martins named Man of the Match. They will hope there’s many more individual awards to come, even spread across that veteran front three.

“A goal and a Man of the Match on my first night in these colours,” the 32-year-old Portuguese shared on social media. “The victory was the only thing missing.

“But the signs are strong. We have a bright future ahead.”