Al-Ahli Signs Abdullah Radif After Jaissle Exit
Al-Ahli may be bracing for the loss of their coach, but they are not standing still.
With Matthias Jaissle on his way to Newcastle United to replace Eddie Howe, the Jeddah club have responded by closing a deal at the other end of the pitch, sealing the signing of Saudi striker Abdullah Radif and fending off a late ambush from Al-Diriyah.
A tug-of-war for a free agent
Saudi daily Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Saturday that Al-Ahli have finalised an agreement with Radif, the former Al-Hilal forward, on a free transfer after his contract with the Riyadh giants expired.
The 23-year-old has signed a four-year deal that runs until 2030, a long-term bet on a player whose career has been stop-start but who remains highly regarded within the domestic game.
Radif had initially given Al-Ahli his word. Then the story twisted.
Al-Diriyah, newly promoted to the Roshn League and eager to make a statement in the market, surged into the race and came close to hijacking the move. For a brief spell, the deal looked in real doubt. Al-Ahli pushed back, held their ground and have now won that battle, with an official announcement expected once the final paperwork is completed and the player signs.
From Al-Hilal product to transfer-market chess piece
Al-Hilal had already drawn a line under Radif’s time at the club on 7 July, confirming his departure five years after promoting him to the first team. Those five years were marked more by loans than continuity: spells at Al-Taawoun, Al-Shabab, Al-Ettifaq and Al-Feiha offered minutes but never quite the permanent platform he needed.
At one point, his next step seemed clear. Radif had agreed to join Al-Ittihad on a three-year contract worth a total of 27 million riyals, 9 million per season. Then the deal collapsed, Al-Ittihad withdrawing because they lacked the financial liquidity to complete it. A lucrative move vanished, and Radif returned to the market.
That collapse opened the door for Al-Ahli. They stepped through it—and had to slam it shut again when Al-Diriyah tried to force their way in.
Role in a crowded attack
Radif arrives into a forward line already packed with names and expectations. He is projected to be Al-Ahli’s third-choice striker, battling Brazilian Ricardo Matias for minutes behind England international Ivan Toney and Saudi international Firas Al-Buraikan.
For a 23-year-old, that is both a challenge and an opportunity. Training every day with that level of competition can sharpen a player. It can also leave him on the fringes if he does not seize his chances.
His recent numbers underline the scale of the task ahead. During the second half of last season with Al-Feiha, he featured in just eight matches, failed to score and registered two assists. The raw tools are there; the end product still needs to catch up.
Building a new-look Al-Ahli
Radif becomes Al-Ahli’s sixth signing of the current summer window, another piece in a rapidly changing squad. He follows Gambian Aboubakar Sidi Kinte, Portuguese winger Francisco Trincao, Armenian playmaker Eduard Spertsyan and Saudi duo Meshaal Al-Mutairi and Nayef Masoud into the dressing room.
The club are reshaping the attack, refreshing the flanks, and deepening the bench. All while dealing with the emotional blow of losing Jaissle, the coach who was meant to lead this project and is now bound for the Premier League.
The new man on the touchline will inherit a deeper, younger forward unit—and a 23-year-old striker who has already ridden the turbulence of big-club exits, collapsed mega-deals and hijacked transfers before truly establishing himself.
What Radif does with this chance, in a shirt that comes with real pressure and expectation, will say a lot about where Al-Ahli’s next era is heading.
