SINGAPORE – He has spent the past two years plying his trade in the Thai Premier League (PLT) with Army United, but this season, Lions goalkeeper Hassan Sunny will finally make his return to the S.League after agreeing to sign for Home United on a one-year deal.

The 32-year-old had been a free agent after being officially released from Army United last month following the club’s relegation from the top division.

TODAY understands that Hassan had at least one other concrete offer for his services, but the national custodian opted to sign for the Protectors as he was impressed with the club’s set-up.

“There are several reasons why I signed for Home, and one of it was because I found the club to be very professionally run,” Hassan told TODAY. “They have top facilities, good coaches and they were able to agree to the terms that I was looking for.”

In announcing Hassan’s signing on social media on Friday (Jan 6), Home United wrote: “Hassan's leadership at the back will be crucial in forming a defensive wall that looks set to be the bedrock of the Protectors in 2017. With his accurate distribution from drop kicks, Hassan will also be crucial as a platform for quick counter attacks from our wide men."

The last time Hassan played in the S.League was in 2014, when he led Warriors FC to the title with a series of strong performances which eventually saw him named the S.League Player of the Year – the first time that a goalkeeper had won the award.

His signing represents a major coup for Home, who are looking to improve on last season’s fourth-place finish in the league.

The Bishan Stadium outfit have significantly strengthened their ranks for the upcoming season, having recently signed the likes of Singapore internationals Afiq Yunos and Izzdin Shafiq, as well as Croatian hitman Stipe Plazibat.

And Hassan is determined to play his part to help Home challenge for the title this season.

“Of course I hope I can contribute something to put Home where they belong, which is at the top,” said Hassan. “The club has always been one of the top few in Singapore, and this season, they’ve added several top players like Afiq and Izzdin.

“So I can see we have a very balanced squad of young and experienced players in the team. It’ll be an exciting year for us, and personally, I want to help Home challenge for trophies again.”

Nonetheless, Hassan admits he is still keen to play in the PLT again should the opportunity arise in future.

This could happen as soon as next season, with the league set to change their foreign player quota to allow Thai clubs to register five foreign players in their squad, of which at least one must be a player from an Asian country and another from South-east Asia.

“I am of course sad that I won’t to be able to stay and play in Thailand, where I’ve managed to grow and improve greatly as a player,” said Hassan. “So a return to the Thai league is a possibility that I’ll consider next year, especially given that their foreign player quota is going to change.

“I’ve already met a few people from my previous club, and they said they’ll try to help me find a team in Thailand next year. In the meantime, I’ll just be focused on keeping my performances at a high level this season.”

Home will begin their season on Jan 30, when they take on Cambodian outfit Phnom Penh Crown in an AFC Cup qualifying match.