Khamis Al-Zahrani's Warning to Al-Ittihad: Key Players Must Depart
Al-Ittihad legend Khamis Al-Zahrani has fired a stark warning at the club’s hierarchy – and at two of its biggest names.
The former midfielder has openly urged Houssem Aouar and Youssef En-Nesyri to leave the Jeddah giants before next season kicks off, insisting the pair do not fit the demands of new German coach Jens Wissing.
“They can’t do what the coach wants”
Speaking to Al-Arabiya, Al-Zahrani painted a picture of a club walking into a defining season with a squad that is not yet ready for the load.
“Al-Ittihad is heading into a very big season, but it suffers from a problem in depth, especially with the ideas of the new German coach Jens Wissing,” he said.
For Al-Zahrani, the issue is structural, not superficial. The way Wissing wants his team to play leaves little room for compromise.
“Al-Ittihad needs great depth in midfield,” he explained. “Neither (Houssem) Aouar nor Fabinho nor (Youssef) En-Nesyri can perform the roles the coach is expected to demand of them, which involve direct play, pressing and quick transition.”
In other words, it is not about names. It is about profiles. And in his view, these profiles do not match.
Under scrutiny as clock ticks
Al-Zahrani made it clear that the situation around Fabinho, Aouar and En-Nesyri must be resolved quickly, with the Brazilian already at a contractual crossroads.
“Al-Ittihad needs midfielders, with Fabinho, Aouar and En-Nesyri coming under the coach's scrutiny, so that he can take the appropriate decision on them as soon as possible, especially since Fabinho's contract has already ended,” he said.
The message is blunt: decisions delayed could become problems multiplied.
“These matters require speed in decision-making, in addition to quality in selection, especially since the coach has now got to know the players, put his finger on the wound, and must plug the gaps with distinguished signings,” he continued.
Wissing, still new to the job, has had just enough time to assess, not to waste.
Two new midfielders targeted
Behind the scenes, Al-Zahrani expects movement in the market, particularly in the centre of the pitch, where he believes the spine of the team must be rebuilt.
“What I know is that Al-Ittihad will bring in midfield players, one of them a replacement for Fabinho, and the other playing in the same way as (Mamadou) Doumbia, while Aouar's situation remains linked to the team's squad and the number of foreign players,” he revealed.
That line on Aouar is telling. His future, at least for now, is less about form and more about arithmetic – the foreign quota, the balance of the squad, and how Wissing wants to allocate his non-Saudi slots.
En-Nesyri, though mentioned alongside Aouar, is framed more in terms of suitability to the coach’s high-intensity blueprint than registration rules.
Big club, thin margins
Al-Zahrani did not sugarcoat the wider context. The club’s problems are not only tactical; they are financial and structural too.
“Al-Ittihad faces a thorny matter, and time is extremely tight, especially in light of the financial difficulties, in addition to the presence of a new coach who does not possess great experience in leading a big team the size of Al-Ittihad club,” he concluded.
A new coach with bold ideas. A squad with gaps. A budget under strain. Stars whose roles no longer look guaranteed.
For Al-Ittihad, the legend’s warning is clear: act fast, or risk walking into a “very big season” with a team built on fault lines.
