The uncertainty surrounding the future of international player Abdulrahman Al-Aboud at Al-Ittihad Club is deepening, as the relationship between the player and the coaching staff has reached a critical juncture that could spell the end of his career with the club. This escalation follows the strict decisions made by the team's Portuguese manager, Conceição, which included completely excluding the player from the squad and requiring him to train individually, away from the main group.
Containment attempts failed, and the disciplinary decision was made
Despite the strenuous efforts exerted by Al-Ittihad's management to bridge the gap and find an amicable solution that would bring the player back to the team, the Portuguese coach remains firm in his stance towards Al-Aboud. Sources indicate that this decision is not solely based on technical grounds, but also carries a strict disciplinary dimension, complicating the management's task of mending the rift before the upcoming transfer window.
In this context, Ben Jacobs, a reliable journalist specializing in international transfer news, revealed crucial developments in this matter. On his official X platform account Thursday evening, Jacobs stated: "Abdulrahman Al-Aboud is leaving Al-Ittihad, and the club will sell him in the winter transfer window for disciplinary reasons." This statement reinforces expectations that the player's days in Jeddah are numbered, and that the club is actively planning to benefit financially from his departure in the winter transfer window rather than prolong the crisis.
Frequent absences and modest numbers
Al-Aboud's exclusion wasn't a sudden decision; the player had been absent from Al-Ittihad's lineup in recent important matches, including games against Al-Shabab, Neom, and Al-Taawoun in the last three rounds of the Saudi Professional League. His absence continues with confirmation that he will miss the team's match against Al-Kholoud scheduled for today, Friday.
Looking at the numbers, the (30) year old player did not deliver the expected performance this season, as he participated in only (10) matches with Al-Ittihad, during which he only created one goal, and with a total of playing minutes that did not exceed (219) minutes, which is a result that reflects the decline of his influential role that he enjoyed in previous seasons.
Facing eternity and the team's position in the league
Aside from the Al-Aboud crisis, Al-Ittihad is fully focused on its upcoming match today, as it faces a tough away game against Al-Kholoud at 8:30 PM, in the fourteenth round of the Roshan League. Al-Ittihad enters the match in sixth place in the standings with 23 points, a position that falls short of the ambitions of its fans, who hope for improved results and a return to the top of the table. Meanwhile, Al-Kholoud sits in twelfth place with 12 points, making the match crucial for both teams to improve their positions in the standings.
This internal crisis comes at a time when the federation needs technical and administrative stability to face the major challenges in the league, which puts additional pressure on the administration to resolve the Al-Aboud issue quickly to ensure that it does not affect the stability of the dressing room and the focus of the rest of the players.
