Al-Ahli Signs Abdullah Radif Amid Coaching Turmoil
Al-Ahli may be losing their coach, but they are not losing time.
With the club still reeling from Matthias Jaissle’s resignation and imminent move to Newcastle United, the Jeddah giants have tied down a new attacking option, winning a late tug-of-war with Al-Diriyah for striker Abdullah Radif.
A new face amid a coaching storm
Jaissle’s decision to walk away on Thursday, with a Premier League challenge ahead and Eddie Howe to succeed at St James’ Park, cast a shadow over Al-Ahli’s summer. The mood around the club dipped. Questions flew about direction, about continuity, about what comes next.
The answer, at least in part, arrived from the domestic market.
Saudi outlet Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Saturday that Al-Ahli have completed a deal for Radif, the former Al-Hilal forward, on a free transfer. The 23-year-old will sign a four-year contract running through to 2030, a long-term bet on a player who has spent the last few seasons trying to break through across the Roshn League.
This was not a straightforward capture.
Radif had already given his word to Al-Ahli. Then Al-Diriyah, newly promoted and eager to make a statement in their first season back at the top, suddenly appeared in the race and pushed hard to hijack the move. For a brief spell, the deal looked at risk.
Al-Ahli held their nerve. They saw off the late intervention and are now finalising administrative details before issuing an official announcement, once the paperwork is signed.
A career of loans, near-moves and a fresh start
Radif’s story so far has been one of promise, detours and near-misses.
Al-Hilal promoted him to the first team five years ago, but regular minutes were hard to come by in a star-studded squad. He went out on a series of loans — Al-Taawoun, Al-Shabab, Al-Ettifaq and most recently Al-Feiha — in search of rhythm and responsibility.
Al-Hilal finally confirmed his permanent departure on 7 July, closing a chapter that never quite turned into a breakthrough.
There was almost a different twist before Al-Ahli entered the frame. Radif had agreed to join Al-Ittihad on a three-year contract worth 27 million riyals, 9 million per season. The move collapsed when Al-Ittihad pulled out, unable to provide the financial liquidity required to complete the deal. A marquee switch to Jeddah’s other powerhouse vanished overnight.
So Radif waited. And Al-Ahli stepped in.
His most recent spell, with Al-Feiha in the second half of last season, underlined both the opportunity and the challenge ahead. Eight appearances, no goals, two assists. Flashes of contribution, but not yet the numbers to demand an undisputed starting role at a club with Al-Ahli’s ambitions.
Fighting for minutes in a crowded attack
That reality will not change in Jeddah. If anything, the competition intensifies.
Radif is expected to start as Al-Ahli’s third-choice striker. Ahead of him stand English forward Ivan Toney and Saudi international Firas Al-Buraikan, with Brazilian Ricardo Matias also in the mix. It is a demanding depth chart, but also a clear test: if Radif wants to step up from promising squad player to decisive weapon, this is the stage.
He becomes the club’s sixth signing of a busy summer window. Gambian Aboubakar Sidi Kinte, Portuguese winger Francisco Trincao, Armenian playmaker Eduard Spertsyan and Saudis Meshaal Al-Mutairi and Nayef Masoud have already walked through the door. Al-Ahli are rebuilding the squad even as the man who was supposed to shape it heads for England.
So the picture is mixed. A coach gone. A squad strengthened. A young striker, 23 and still searching for a permanent home, now tied to the club until 2030.
In a league transformed by star names and big cheques, the question for Al-Ahli is simple: can a domestic forward who has lived on the margins of starting XIs finally impose himself in green, just as the club itself tries to steady under a new era?
