Al-Ahli Signs Abdullah Radif Amid Turmoil
Al-Ahli have lost their coach but found a striker. In a week dominated by Matthias Jaissle’s resignation and looming move to Newcastle United, the Jeddah club have quietly secured a deal they simply could not afford to let slip.
Saudi outlet Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Saturday that Al-Ahli have wrapped up the signing of Saudi forward Abdullah Radif on a free transfer, beating late competition from Al-Diriyah. The former Al-Hilal striker will sign a four-year contract running until 2030, with the official announcement expected once the final paperwork is processed.
A tug-of-war in the shadows
For a while, Radif’s next step looked straightforward. The 23-year-old had given his approval to join Al-Ahli, a logical move for a player eager to relaunch his career at a club with serious ambitions in the Roshn League.
Then Al-Diriyah arrived.
Newly promoted and eager to make a statement, Al-Diriyah stepped into the negotiations and pushed hard, coming close to hijacking the deal. For Al-Ahli, already reeling from Jaissle’s decision to walk away to take over at Newcastle next season, losing a domestic attacking target to a promoted side would have been a damaging look.
They didn’t let it happen. Al-Ahli held their nerve, saw off the late challenge and moved decisively to lock Radif in as part of their long-term plan.
A career of loans and a collapsed mega-move
Radif’s departure from Al-Hilal had been sealed weeks earlier. On 7 July, the Riyadh giants confirmed his exit, ending a five-year spell in the first team that never quite settled. Instead of a permanent role, his development became a carousel of loans: Al-Taawoun, Al-Shabab, Al-Ettifaq, Al-Feiha. Four clubs, flashes of promise, but no lasting home.
At one point, it looked as though that home would be at Al-Ittihad. Radif had agreed a three-year deal worth a total of 27 million riyals, structured at 9 million per season. For a young Saudi striker, it was a major contract and a clear sign of faith.
Then the deal collapsed.
Al-Ittihad pulled out, unable to secure the financial liquidity needed to close the transfer. The numbers were on the table, the agreement in place, but the money wasn’t. Radif had to wait again.
His most recent stint, with Al-Feiha in the second half of last season, underlined both his potential and his frustration. Eight appearances, no goals, two assists. Enough involvement to stay in the conversation, not enough to define him.
Role players and hierarchy
At Al-Ahli, the picture is clearer. He is not coming in as the star, but as a key part of the depth chart.
Radif is expected to slot in as the club’s third striker, battling Brazilian Ricardo Matias for minutes behind English forward Ivan Toney and Saudi international Firas Al-Buraikan. It’s a demanding role: ready-made competition, limited margin for error, but also the chance to grow in a squad built to challenge on multiple fronts.
For a 23-year-old who has spent much of his early career on the move, the promise of four years in one place, at a club of Al-Ahli’s stature, carries its own weight.
Building a new-look Al-Ahli
This is not an isolated move. Radif becomes Al-Ahli’s sixth signing of the summer window as the club reshapes its squad in the middle of managerial upheaval.
He joins Gambian midfielder Aboubakar Sidi Kinte, Portuguese winger Francisco Trincao, Armenian playmaker Eduard Spertsyan, and Saudi duo Meshaal Al-Mutairi and Nayef Masoud. It is a blend of foreign flair and domestic talent, a roster being constructed to compete at the sharp end of the Roshn League.
Jaissle’s departure to Newcastle has left a sour taste among supporters, who had bought into his project and his profile. But the club’s transfer work tells a different story: the project itself is not being abandoned.
Al-Ahli have chosen their next striker, beaten off a rival, and committed to him until 2030. The question now is simple: with a new forward line forming and a new coach on the way, how quickly can this rebuilt side turn potential into trophies?
