Al Qadsiah putting in hard yards for another special season | OneFootball

After a fantastic fourth-placed finish upon their return to the Roshn Saudi League last season, manager Michel has trained sights on an even better 2025-26 campaign.

The Al Khobar club were one of the stories of last term's RSL, climbing as high as third and at one stage in the thick of a title challenge.

There were notable victories, too, against big guns in Al Hilal and Al Nassr, while in Julian Quinones and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang they boasted the most prolific striker partnership in the division.

And, even if Aubameyang has now departed – the Gabon international left the club on Thursday by mutual consent – Al Qadsiah are gearing up for an improved campaign ahead.

So much so, they’ve been busy getting preparations under way at their pre-season camp in the city of Venlo, the Netherlands.

“We’re back together, sharing the same dream and ambition from last season,” Michel told Al Qadsiah’s official media channel. “In this camp, we’re preparing ourselves well to deliver a strong performance.

“We have big goals and a sense of responsibility. We can’t forget what we achieved last season – it was amazing. And we want to maintain that same level.

"That’s why we need to raise our standards from the very start. We trust the players [have returned] from the break in good shape, but they must be mentally ready, too, especially with the league getting tougher every year.”

For sure, with the highly ambitious NEOM SC among the newly promoted sides for the 2025-26 RSL, and a number of high-quality additions to the top flight expected this summer, the competition is shaping up to be another fiercely fought one.

With that in mind, Michel and the decision-makers at the King’s Cup runners-up have planned an extensive pre-season: one that spans the Netherlands, Spain and England.

And all of that before Al Qadsiah contest the Saudi Super Cup in Hong Kong from August 19 – nine days before the new RSL campaign is due to kick off.

Al Qadsiah manager Michel puts squad through paces during camp in the Netherlands

“For me, it’s a natural step in the team’s development holding the camp across three countries,” the Real Madrid legend said. “We’re happy to visit three cities to better prepare ourselves and compete strongly from the beginning.

“We’ll approach it just like last season’s camp; not just training but also working on different tactical approaches that can help us in all competitions.

“These friendlies are not about the results; what matters is our progress and the level we reach by the start of the season - especially with the Super Cup coming up in Hong Kong.”