The transfer from Aleksandar Mitrovic to Al-Hilal on Saturday evening is no longer surprising. Already four weeks ago there was a report about the intensive digging on the Serbian national striker (81 internationals, 52 goals). At the end of July, people close to Mitrovic said he “never wanted to play for Fulham again”. On the first Premier League matchday – a 1-0 win at Everton – Mitrovic came on again in the 58th minute. In the 0-3 draw against Brentford a week later, he was no longer part of the squad. The statement by Fulham coach Marco Silva after the first league defeat was profound: “He did everything to force his change.”
Mitrovic is moving to Saudi Arabia and has been given a three-year contract with Al-Hilal until June 30, 2026. According to media reports, Fulham can console themselves with a fee of up to 50 million euros. Mitrovic completed the medical check in Paris before leaving for Saudi Arabia.
There he meets prominent teammates, all of whom have joined Al-Hilal this summer: On the offensive, the Serb could whirl with the Brazilians Neymar (came from PSG) and Malcom (came from Zenit), in midfield the suppliers are sometimes called Ruben Neves (from Wolverhampton) and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (from Lazio), with defender Kalidou Koulibaly (from Chelsea) and keeper Bono (from Sevilla) providing protection at the back. The club, also headed by new coach Jorge Jesus, invested almost 300 million euros in newcomers.
For Mitrovic it is the fourth stop abroad: in 2013 he moved from Partizan Belgrade to RSC Anderlecht, two years later to Newcastle United – and in winter 2018 to FC Fulham. For the Cottagers, where he still had a contract until the summer of 2026, the attacker played 206 competitive games in which he scored 111 goals and prepared 22 more. The championship seasons 2019/20 (26 goals in 40 appearances) and 2021/22 (43 goals in 44 games) will remain unforgettable at Fulham.
