Al-Ittihad's Khamis Al-Zahrani Issues Warning to Foreign Stars

Al-Ittihad great Khamis Al-Zahrani has fired a stark warning at the club’s foreign stars, urging Houssem Aouar and Youssef En-Nesyri to walk away from Jeddah before the new season begins.

The former midfield leader, speaking to Al-Arabiya, painted a picture of a giant heading into a defining campaign with a squad ill-suited to the demands of new German coach Jens Wissing.

“They can’t do what the coach wants”

For Al-Zahrani, the issue is not about reputation or past glory. It is about fit.

“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, underlining a growing concern among fans that the squad and the coach’s philosophy are not aligned.

He cut straight to the heart of the tactical problem.

Al-Ittihad, he argued, needs “great depth in midfield,” and the current options do not match Wissing’s blueprint. In his view, neither Aouar, Fabinho nor En-Nesyri can carry out the roles the coach will demand – roles built on direct play, aggressive pressing and rapid transitions.

That is a brutal assessment of three high-profile names. Aouar, once one of Europe’s most coveted playmakers. Fabinho, a Champions League winner. En-Nesyri, a proven international striker. Yet in Al-Zahrani’s eyes, all three stand on shaky ground under Wissing.

Under scrutiny and short on time

The pressure, he insisted, cannot wait.

Al-Zahrani called for swift decisions on the futures of Fabinho, Aouar and En-Nesyri, stressing that all three are under the microscope as Wissing shapes his squad. The situation around Fabinho looks most urgent, with his contract already expired, but the legend made it clear that nobody in that trio should feel safe.

“These matters require speed in decision-making, in addition to quality in selection,” he said, pointing out that the coach has now seen enough to “put his finger on the wound” and identify where the team is bleeding.

The message is blunt: the evaluation phase is over. Now comes surgery.

Midfield rebuild on the horizon

Behind the scenes, change is already brewing.

Al-Zahrani revealed that Al-Ittihad are planning to bring in at least two midfielders. One is expected to replace Fabinho directly. The other, he said, will offer a profile similar to Mamadou Doumbia – a clear hint that the club wants more dynamism and intensity in the middle of the pitch.

That leaves Aouar in limbo. His future, Al-Zahrani noted, is now tied to the overall squad composition and the foreign player quota. If new signings arrive and the numbers do not add up, the Algerian could be one of the first big names forced towards the exit.

En-Nesyri, though a forward, is dragged into the same debate because of Wissing’s demands for collective pressing and fast transitions from front to back. In a system built on relentless work without the ball, no attacker is exempt.

A giant under strain

Beyond tactics, Al-Zahrani lifted the lid on the wider tension at the club.

He described Al-Ittihad as facing a “thorny matter” with time “extremely tight.” Financial difficulties weigh heavily, even as the club tries to refresh a squad for a coach who, as Al-Zahrani pointedly reminded, “does not possess great experience in leading a big team the size of Al-Ittihad club.”

That combination is volatile: a demanding project, a rookie at this level, a squad in transition, and limited room for financial error.

In that context, his call for Aouar and En-Nesyri to leave is not just criticism. It is a challenge to the club’s hierarchy to be ruthless, to reshape the squad quickly, and to give Wissing players who can actually execute his ideas.

The clock is already ticking in Jeddah.