Sharjah have made a stunning swoop for lethal Al Ittihad marksman Gelmin Rivas as they boldly attempt to end their recent woes in the Arabian Gulf League.

A three-year deal for the second top scorer in the 2015/16 Saudi Professional League was proudly announced by chairman Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Thani last night. It marks a remarkable retort to the sale of striker Wanderley to Al Nasr.

“Congratulations to the masses for Rivas, and wish him well with the rest of the players,” Al Thani tweeted about the powerful centre forward, who scored 19 goals in 25 top-flight games after a move from Venezuela’s Deportivo Tachira.

The Kings have narrowly avoided relegation during the last two campaigns and this show of ambition exemplifies a keen desire to end this misery. The dramatic change looks unlikely to be the last one at Sharjah Stadium, with Arabic media reporting further raids on Saudi Arabia.

They centre on giants Al Hilal, with the Brazilian pair of centre-back Digao, 28, and striker Ailton, 31, being linked by Al Ittihad newspaper in a dynamic shake-up of the first team. An approach for the same club’s former coach Giorgos Donis is also rumoured.

Last term’s rookie boss Abdulaziz Al Anbari was not present last night as pre-season training got underway.

Ex-Greece midfielder Donis, 46, would provide a sizeable step up in experience after spells at teams such as AEK Athens and PAOK.