Al-Ahli Signs Abdullah Radif After Jaissle's Departure

Al-Ahli have not waited long to show life after the shock of Matthias Jaissle’s resignation. While fans still process the German’s decision to walk away and take charge of Newcastle United next season, the club has quietly won a battle of its own in the transfer market.

The Saudi giants have sealed a deal for striker Abdullah Radif, edging out late, aggressive interest from Al-Diriyah and adding another piece to an attack being rebuilt on the fly.

A free agent tug-of-war

Saudi outlet Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Saturday that Radif, recently released by Al-Hilal, will join Al-Ahli on a free transfer. The contract runs for four years, taking him through to 2030.

This move was not as straightforward as it once looked.

The 23-year-old had initially given Al-Ahli his word. Then Al-Diriyah, newly promoted to the Roshn League and eager to make a statement, stormed into the race and came close to hijacking the deal. For a brief spell, the striker’s future looked wide open.

Al-Ahli held their nerve. They pushed the move over the line and are now only waiting for final administrative formalities and the player’s signature before making the transfer official.

A winding road out of Al-Hilal

Radif’s departure from Al-Hilal had already been confirmed on 7 July, ending a five-year spell with the first team. It was a period defined less by continuity than by constant movement.

Al-Hilal sent him out on loan to Al-Taawoun, Al-Shabab, Al-Ettifaq and most recently Al-Feiha, searching for minutes, rhythm and a breakthrough that never quite arrived on a consistent basis.

There was almost a very different twist to his summer.

Radif had agreed to join Al-Ittihad on a three-year contract worth 27 million riyals, 9 million per season. The deal collapsed when Al-Ittihad withdrew, unable to secure the financial liquidity required to complete the transfer.

From a lucrative move to Jeddah’s other giant to a free-agent scramble, his market story has turned sharply in a matter of weeks.

Role in a crowded Al-Ahli attack

At Al-Ahli, Radif will not walk into a starring role. He is expected to operate as the third striker in the squad, competing with Brazilian Ricardo Matias and sitting behind English forward Ivan Toney and Saudi international Firas Al-Buraikan in the pecking order.

For a player still trying to establish himself at the highest level, that role cuts both ways. The path to the starting XI is steep, but he will train daily alongside high-level forwards, in a team that expects to attack and dominate.

Last season’s numbers underline the scale of the challenge ahead.

During his most recent loan spell with Al-Feiha in the second half of the campaign, Radif played just eight matches, failed to score and registered two assists. Al-Ahli are betting that regular work in a more ambitious set-up can unlock more than those raw statistics suggest.

Part of a wider rebuild

Radif becomes Al-Ahli’s sixth signing of the current summer window, another brick in a squad being reshaped while the coaching situation changes at the top.

He joins Gambian midfielder Aboubakar Sidi Kinte, Portuguese winger Francisco Trincao, Armenian playmaker Eduard Spertsyan and Saudi duo Meshaal Al-Mutairi and Nayef Masoud in a busy intake.

The timing is telling. As Jaissle prepares for life in the Premier League and Newcastle United, Al-Ahli are trying to ensure that whoever steps into the dugout next inherits a squad with depth, variety and internal competition.

For Radif, this is more than just a new contract. It is a reset, in a pressure-cooker environment, at a club that cannot afford passengers. Whether he becomes a reliable weapon off the bench or fights his way into something more, the next four years in green will define the striker he becomes.