August 2 – The Saudi Pro League has hit headlines signing big stars from Europe’s big leagues, but the search for proven talent isn’t confined to Europe.
Al Fateh have signed one of Major League Soccer’s leading playmakers, Lucas Zelarayán, from Columbus Crew for an undisclosed fee.
Zelarayán may not be well known in Europe but the 31-year-old attacking midfielder has been a star in the MLS for the past three-and-a-half years, scoring 38 goals in 97 matches.
Zelarayán, 31, helped bring two titles to Columbus, lifting both MLS Cup in 2020 and Campeones Cup in 2021. He was named MLS Cup MVP and departs as a two-time MLS All-Star (2021, 2023).
Zelarayán began his career with Belgrano in Argentina, where he was born, though he plays his international football for Armenia. He moved to Mexico’s LigaMX in 2016, signing for Tigres UNAL where he notched 113 appearances. Columbus Crew signed him for a club record fee of $8 million in 2020.
While no fee has been disclosed by Al-Fateh, the club did say that they had bought out the remainder of Zelarayán’s three-year contract.
Al-Fateh are now managed by Slaven Bilic who joined the club in July. Last season the club finished sixth in the Saudi Pro League. They are not one of the clubs that were recently bought out by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
“We greatly appreciate everything Lucas has done for the Crew, including his efforts to help us win the MLS Cup, the many memorable moments and goals, and his dedication to the club and our supporters,” Columbus Crew president and general manager Tim Bezbatchenko said in a release.
“When we signed Lucas, we knew he would make an immediate impact on our team, our club and our city, and we thank him for being a key contributor to the club’s recent success and helping launch this new era of the Crew.”
Al-Fateh will hope that he has the same impact.
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