Al-Ittihad Secures Ritsu Doan from Eintracht Frankfurt as Diaby Replacement

Al-Ittihad are moving to plug one of the biggest gaps in their squad – and they look to have found their answer in Germany.

According to Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadiah, the Jeddah giants have reached an agreement with Eintracht Frankfurt for Japan international Ritsu Doan, with only minor contractual details left before the transfer becomes official. The deal would bring the 26-year-old to the Roshn League and mark the next step in a career built on European football.

This move is no luxury signing. It is a direct response to the departure of French attacker Moussa Diaby, who left Al-Ittihad for Bayer Leverkusen earlier in the window. His exit ripped a hole in the final third and forced the club back into the market for a forward who can both create and finish, and offer different angles in attack.

Doan fits that brief.

Capable of operating across several attacking roles, the Japanese star offers versatility and tactical flexibility, something Al-Ittihad’s rebuild badly needs. He arrives with solid experience from European competitions and top-level leagues, giving “the Dean” a player who understands high-intensity football and pressure environments.

The agreement with Eintracht Frankfurt is described as done, with both clubs now waiting on a few remaining formalities before Doan is unveiled as an Al-Ittihad player. Inside the club, the expectation is that the announcement is now a matter of timing, not negotiation.

His signing slots into a wider recruitment drive at Al-Ittihad after a turbulent summer that has seen major changes to the squad. The hierarchy want to equip the coach with a fresher, more adaptable group capable of translating his ideas on the pitch and reshaping the club’s identity after the end of the previous era.

If all goes through as planned, Ritsu Doan will effectively succeed Diaby in the squad and shoulder much of the attacking responsibility vacated by the Frenchman.

For now, Al-Ittihad fans wait – not to see if the deal happens, but when their new Japanese forward will walk through the doors and into a project that demands immediate impact.