Jens Wissing Plans Winter Overhaul for Al-Ittihad
Jens Wissing has not come to Jeddah to simply manage what he found. He wants to rebuild it.
The Al-Ittihad head coach has already started sketching out a winter overhaul of the “Dean’s” squad, intent on bending the team to his tactical blueprint as the January window approaches. The German is pushing for a leaner, sharper group tailored to his demands on the pitch, and that means some big calls on established names.
According to information obtained by “Kooora” from a source close to the club, Wissing is preparing to move on at least three players in January. The idea is clear: clear space in the dressing room, clear space on the registration list, and give the hierarchy room to bring in profiles that fit his technical vision.
The pressure of the season only heightens that urgency. Al-Ittihad are hunting multiple trophies, with the AFC Champions League Elite and the Roshn Saudi Pro League at the top of the agenda. For Wissing, that pursuit cannot be built on sentiment. It has to be built on suitability.
Prospective Exits
At the top of the prospective exit list sits Saudi forward Saleh Al-Shehri. The source indicates that Wissing is eager to refresh the attack with a younger centre-forward, someone who can press, stretch defences, and live through the intensity of a long campaign. Al-Shehri’s status, once secure, now looks fragile as the coach sharpens his focus on the front line.
The changes will not stop there. Within days, Wissing is expected to hand the club’s management a detailed technical report, assessing several members of the squad and spelling out his recommendations on their futures. That document is anticipated to include two more names: Moath Faqeehi and Hamed Al-Ghamdi.
Those three – Al-Shehri, Faqeehi and Al-Ghamdi – are currently viewed as the leading candidates to depart in January, unless there is a late shift in the technical staff’s evaluation. Their situations will crystallise once the report lands on the board’s table and the winter market opens its doors.
For Al-Ittihad, the stakes are obvious. A club chasing continental glory and a domestic title cannot afford passengers. Wissing has drawn his lines. The next window will show who fits inside them – and who is pushed out as the “Dean” reshapes itself for a season that demands nothing less than success.
