Returning starlets provide excitement for Al Ittihad | OneFootball

After the winning the Roshn Saudi League last season, the prospect of Al Ittihad strengthening ahead of the new season is a scary one for the other 17 clubs.

But with the return of a host of young stars from various loan spells around the world, that is precisely the scenario about to play out in Jeddah.

It was a near-perfect campaign for Al Ittihad last term, where everything they touched seemed to turn to gold. From a new coach in Laurent Blanc, to new signings like Steven Bergwijn and Moussa Diaby, and a reinvigorated Karim Benzema.

It was a season where everything appeared to go right.

While they won’t be resting on their laurels and will be busily strategising to be even stronger in 2025-26, by default Al Ittihad already will be. That’s because of the return of a number of promising young stars from loan spells across the country and, indeed, the world.

Two of those are Faisal Al Ghamdi and Marwan Al Sahafi, who arrive back after an eventful campaign in Belgium with Beerschot. The duo, aged 23 and 21 respectively, impressed in their first season abroad, winning the plaudits of fans and media alike and showcasing their talent on the European stage.

Al Sahafi finished the Belgian Pro League with six goals and one assist, while Al Ghamdi started all 26 matches that he played, averaging 84 minutes per game. Deployed deeper in midfield, he contributed a goal and an assist.

While Al Ittihad may ultimately look for other loan moves for the pair, their initial return certainly bolsters the champions’ midfield and attacking options.

Both will have taken plenty from their Belgian experience, learned more about their games and how to maximise their strengths. Thus, they come back as better, smarter and more well-rounded players than when they left.

“It's invaluable for our development to get a lot of minutes in a strong European league," Al Ghamdi told FIFA earlier this year. “Of course some things are different, but it was good for us to be able to come here and play regularly and not lose any minutes.”

Talal Haji, the prodigiously talented teenage striker, is another back at Al Ittihad, this time after six months at Al Riyadh.

The 17-year-old shot to prominence in the 2023-24 RSL when he became the youngest goalscorer in the competition history, concluding the campaign with two goals and three assists. Now, with another season of professional football under his belt, Haji will no doubt be ready to take the next step in his burgeoning career.

The same is also true of Ahmed Al Ghamdi, who returns to Al Ittihad after six months on loan at newly promoted outfit NEOM SC.

The 23-year-old midfielder, who grew up in Canada, where he made his pro debut before returning to Saudi Arabia, impressed at his parent club in several cameos late in the 2023-24 season. Like his peers, more regular game time on loan will stand him in way better stead going forward.

Averaging close to 70 minutes per game across his 16 appearances for NEOM SC, for almost the first time in his career Al Ghamdi was able to string together consecutive and consistent performances. He ended his spell in the Saudi First Division League with two goals and eight assists; the latter the equal-second best record in the second tier - yet achieved in only half a season.

It was that type of form that saw Al Ghamdi earn a recall to the national team under Herve Renard, and with the crucial Fourth Round of Asian Qualifiers for next year’s FIFA World Cup to take place in early October, the Al Ittihad man will be keen to press his case.

As will namesake Faisal Al Ghamdi and Al Sahafi, who are part of the next generation looking to cement their place in Renard’s side. Of course, decisive displays for Al Ittihad will go a long way towards that.

“For us younger players, we need to do everything we can and make sure we can influence games and help the team to reach the World Cup,” Al Sahafi said in that same FIFA interview.

“This is normal that our target is to go to the World Cup, and I will be doing all I can to help the team achieve that goal. I want to make sure I can do everything I can to get to that World Cup.

“We will fight from the first until the last minute to do what we need to in order to go to the World Cup - and we are ready for that challenge.”