Football Season Guide

Stayed just outside the top 6, these are the places that get international tournaments visas, last season. The gap to sixth place ended up being full 10 points though so Al Ettifaq never really looked like contenders. The campaign was not going anywhere from early on and in January decided to change managers. Saudi coach Saad al-Shehri took over. He is a rare domestic coach in this league and the decision to leave him in charge permanently suggests Al Ettifaq might enter rebuild mode this season. Serious problems scoring goals are expected at least in the remaining months of 2024. The two main stars up front Moussa Dembélé and Joao Costa are recovering from ACL tears so they won’t be back at least until December. Egyptian veteran Ahmed Hassan was signed to replace Dembélé for that period but he is far from a prolific goalscorer. Young winger Nkota arrived from South Africa. He will occupy 1 of the 2 slots for foreigners under the age of 21 and can be used a lot while Costa is rehabilitating. The two other main new signings were solid inner midfielder Duda and centre-back Calvo. The former will join powers with Wijnaldum and Medran in what at least on paper looks like a solid trio. All of them are age 31 and over though, all have long history of injuries, so questions remain how often all 3 will be able to play together. Calvo is also a veteran, 33-years-old, and he is expected to team up with Scotsman Hendry in the heart of the defence. Defensively Al Ettifaq should look good. The main worries and lack of quality is in attack. It must be noted that there is still an empty slot for a star foreign player to be signed and registered. If Al Ettifaq land a prolific striker their outlook might change, as currently constructed and with the injuries to two of the main stars up front their prospects doesn’t look great.