Al-Ittihad Loan Unai Hernandez to Girona for Season

Al-Ittihad have reached an agreement with Girona over a season-long loan for Spanish midfielder Unai Hernandez, as the Jeddah club continue to overhaul their squad for the new campaign.

According to Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadiah, the deal sends Hernandez to the La Liga side for one year, with Girona holding an option to buy at the end of the loan. The purchase clause would allow the Catalan club to make the move permanent if the 20-year-old impresses in Spain.

Al-Ittihad’s board examined Girona’s proposal and signed off on a wage-sharing arrangement: the Spanish club will cover only a limited portion of his salary next season, with the Black and Yellow paying the remainder. It underlines Al-Ittihad’s determination to trim and reshape their roster without losing control of assets they still believe may grow in value.

Hernandez joined Al-Ittihad from Barcelona in February 2025 on a three-year contract, arriving as one of the “Doyen’s” picks and a symbol of the club’s push for younger European talent. He started brightly. Ten appearances, one goal, three assists – enough to hint at a playmaker who could settle in quickly.

Then the minutes vanished.

By last season, his involvement with Al-Ittihad had almost disappeared. He featured just once, against Al-Nassr in the Saudi Super Cup semi-final, and even that outing did little to revive his status in the squad.

The club sent him on loan to Al-Shabab for the second half of the campaign. There he finally played regularly, logging 31 matches. The end product, though, remained modest: no goals and a single assist, numbers that underlined why Al-Ittihad were prepared to listen when Girona came calling.

Now comes a different kind of test. Back in Spain, in a system built on technical football and high tempo, Hernandez has a chance to relaunch his career. For Al-Ittihad, it is a calculated move: a player off the wage bill in the short term, a potential sale in the long term.

For Girona, it is a low-risk bet on a midfielder who once came through Barcelona and still has time to prove he belongs at that level.