Al-Ittihad faces an existential crisis that transcends poor pitch performances. The Saudi Arabian club is trapped in a spiral of failed negotiations, collapsed deals, and financial dysfunction that has shattered supporter confidence and threatened the entire project under new manager Jens Wissing.
The rot runs deep at administrative level. While rival clubs in the Saudi Pro League move decisively in the transfer market, Al-Ittihad enters negotiation after negotiation only to withdraw or backtrack. Players including Imam Ashour, Marwan Attia, and Ezzeddine Ounahi were linked with moves to the club, yet none materialised into concrete signings. The pattern reveals a club bidding for players it cannot afford, entering races with weak financial ammunition, and lacking the decisive leadership required to close deals.
The Abdullah Radif Debacle: When Agreements Fall Apart
The most damaging moment came when Al-Ittihad reached agreement with Abdullah Radif, only to withdraw due to insufficient liquidity. The player departed elsewhere. This episode crystallised the club's fundamental problem: management negotiates far more than it signs. While competitors act swiftly to wrap up targets, Al-Ittihad's sluggishness allows opportunities to slip away. The club's name appears in virtually every transfer story across the Saudi Pro League, yet remains conspicuously absent from the completed deals column.
Wissing Left Without Tools
German coach Wissing arrived to implement a fresh project but inherited a squad in need of urgent reconstruction. He specifically requested a holding midfielder and playmaker—positions essential to his tactical blueprint. The board failed to deliver. As preparation intensifies ahead of the new campaign, the team faces potential entry into matches with virtually unchanged personnel, despite universal acknowledgment that rebuilding is non-negotiable.
The financial weakness plaguing Al-Ittihad contradicts every transfer ambition. Contradictory decisions, postponements, and unexpected withdrawals have become the administrative norm. Support has evaporated. Fans no longer blame coaching or player quality; they question how the club is governed and its complete absence of strategic planning. With the season approaching, management must either salvage the window and restore confidence, or face a poisoned atmosphere heavier than any previous challenge.
