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August 3, 2024

Al Ittihad’s Young Talents Set to Shine Against RSL  – Saudi Pro League

A subtle change has been unfolding at Roshn Saudi League club Al Ittihad, overshadowed by the high-profile arrivals of Laurent Blanc, Houssem Aouar, and Moussa Diaby.

In fact, Aouar’s transfer from AS Roma and Diaby’s move from Aston Villa highlights the Jeddah powerhouse’s shifting direction. This transformation has been gradually occurring over the past 12 months.

When Al Ittihad claimed the 2022-23 Roshn Saudi League title two seasons ago, their starting XI had an average age of around 30. The squad featured seasoned players like Abderazzak Hamdallah, Romarinho, Marcelo Grohe, Ahmed Hegazi, Tarek Hamed, Igor Coronado, Bruno Henrique, Omar Hawsawi, and Helder Costa.

All these players were over 30 at the time, and now, just over a year after that victory, none remain with the club. This swift turnover in personnel highlights the new, younger direction that the West Coast club is pursuing.

Under the leadership of new Chief Executive Officer Domingos Oliveira and Sporting Director Ramon Planes, who joined the Jeddah giants during the 2023-24 season, Al Ittihad acknowledged the need to refresh their squad with younger players.

“Ramon is a very experienced football director,” Oliveira conveyed to Al Ittihad’s media channel in January. His experience will benefit the club in terms of development [where] he will focus on youth development and the scouting department for the future.

“For us, the future depends a lot on how many young players we can bring to the first team. So that’s part of our strategy, which is trying to attract the best young players to the team and to try to develop them inside our squad.”

The first was Faisal Al Ghamdi, 22, who arrived from Al Ettifaq at the beginning of September and swiftly secured a starting role in the Al Ittihad midfield.

Due to his outstanding form, Al Ghamdi was named RSL Young Player of the Month in November. He also earned a spot in Saudi Arabia’s squad for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023, where he scored against Kyrgyzstan in the group stage.

During the tournament, Al Ittihad’s squad overhaul continued through the January transfer window. Some players moved to Steven Gerrard’s team through a reciprocal loan agreement with Al Ettifaq. At the same time, Al Ittihad acquired promising duo Saad Al Mousa and Ahmed Al Ghamdi, aged 21 and 22, respectively, with buying options.

“The Ettifaq swap was a very interesting deal, and it is a part of our strategy,” Oliveira remarked.  “We took a player – a young player – Saad, coming to our team, and we have a buy option that we can exercise in the summer, and we are delighted.

“So that’s part of the future, which is to bring young talent and to give them opportunity to play with our first team.”

Following solid performances with the first team in the latter part of last season, the buy option mentioned by Soares was activated for both Al Mousa and Al Ghamdi. Having proven themselves as key contributors, both players are expected to play crucial roles in the Al Ittihad setup for the foreseeable future.

Most recently, amid the spotlight on Diaby’s signing, who, at 25, aligns with the focus on younger talent, Al Ittihad made a notable acquisition by bringing in promising left-back Muath Faqeehi from RSL champions Al Hilal.

Recently, while much attention was on the signing of Diaby, who, at 25, aligns with the club’s focus on younger talent, Al Ittihad made a significant move by acquiring the promising left-back Muath Faqeehi from RSL champions Al Hilal.

The 22-year-old, who was on loan at Al Taawoun last season, showcased his talent by being named RSL Young Player of the Month for September. He played a crucial role in leading Al Taawoun to a fourth-place finish.

“[He] fits perfectly with the club’s vision of recruiting young, talented players who have both the skills and ambition to make significant contributions to the team,” Oliveira detailed.

Promoting internal talent is equally crucial to recruiting talented players. Al Ittihad is investing substantially in its youth development, upgrading facilities and pitches to offer emerging talent the best environment.

Last season brought promising signs, particularly with the emergence of 16-year-old Talal Haji, who made history as the league’s youngest-ever goalscorer by scoring against Al Okhdood in Matchweek 23 in March. Some have even compared Haji to legendary Saudi striker Majed Abdullah. Given his potential, the club acted swiftly to secure Haji with a new long-term contract, keeping him in black-and-yellow until at least 2028.

Also rising from the youth team were 20-year-old left winger Marwan Al Sahafi and 18-year-old attacking midfielder Farhah Al Shamrani. Both seized their opportunities last season, especially in the campaign’s latter half.

In more positive news for the West Coast club, Al Ittihad’s Under-17 team clinched the U17 Premier League title, suggesting an even brighter future.

Following a notably disappointing title defense last season, and with the 2024-25 campaign set to begin on August 22, the future in Jeddah looks quite promising.

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