Al-Ittihad's Khamis Al-Zahrani Sends Message to Aouar and En-Nesyri
Al-Ittihad great Khamis Al-Zahrani has delivered a blunt message to two of the club’s biggest foreign names: this might be the time to go.
The former midfield leader believes Houssem Aouar and Youssef En-Nesyri do not fit what new German coach Jens Wissing wants from his team, warning that Al-Ittihad are heading into a huge season without the depth or the right profiles to execute the manager’s ideas.
“They can’t perform the roles”
Speaking to Al-Arabiya, Al-Zahrani painted a stark picture of a squad not yet built for the football Wissing intends to play.
“Al-Ittihad is heading into a very big season, but it suffers from a problem in depth, especially with the ideas of the new German coach Jens Wissing,” he said, underlining that the issue is not just numbers, but suitability.
For him, the heart of the problem lies in midfield and in the way the team must operate without the ball.
“Al-Ittihad needs great depth in midfield,” he explained. “Neither (Houssem) Aouar nor Fabinho nor (Youssef) En-Nesyri can perform the roles the coach is expected to demand of them, which involve direct play, pressing and quick transition.”
In other words, it is not about reputation. It is about intensity, verticality, and the ability to compress and then explode through the pitch on command. In Al-Zahrani’s eyes, those pillars are non-negotiable for Wissing, and some of the club’s headline names are misaligned with that blueprint.
Under scrutiny and out of time
Al-Zahrani pushed for decisive movement in the market and internally. The clock, he stressed, is already against Al-Ittihad.
“Al-Ittihad needs midfielders, with Fabinho, Aouar and En-Nesyri coming under the coach's scrutiny, so that he can take the appropriate decision on them as soon as possible, especially since Fabinho's contract has already ended,” he added.
The message is clear: no room for sentiment, no luxury of waiting. Wissing must judge quickly who can survive in his system and who cannot, then reshape the core of the team accordingly.
“These matters require speed in decision-making, in addition to quality in selection,” Al-Zahrani continued. “Especially since the coach has now got to know the players, put his finger on the wound, and must plug the gaps with distinguished signings.”
The diagnosis, in his view, is already complete. The treatment has to follow immediately.
Two new midfielders on the horizon
Al-Zahrani also lifted the lid slightly on the club’s recruitment plans, indicating that reinforcements in the middle of the pitch are not just an idea, but an expectation.
“What I know is that Al-Ittihad will bring in midfield players, one of them a replacement for Fabinho, and the other playing in the same way as (Mamadou) Doumbia,” he revealed.
That points to a double injection of energy and structure in central areas: one player to take over Fabinho’s role, another with a profile similar to Mamadou Doumbia, whose style Al-Zahrani clearly sees as a reference point for what Wissing wants.
In that scenario, Aouar’s future becomes a numbers game as much as a tactical one.
“Aouar's situation remains linked to the team's squad and the number of foreign players,” he said, hinting that the Algerian’s fate could be decided as much by regulations and quotas as by the whiteboard.
A big club, a rookie coach, and a thorny dilemma
Beyond individual names, Al-Zahrani’s comments carried a broader warning about the state of Al-Ittihad at a delicate moment.
“Al-Ittihad faces a thorny matter, and time is extremely tight, especially in light of the financial difficulties, in addition to the presence of a new coach who does not possess great experience in leading a big team the size of Al-Ittihad club,” he concluded.
A heavyweight club, a demanding season, financial strain, and a relatively inexperienced coach trying to impose a high-intensity style on a squad built for something else. In that mix, even stars like Aouar and En-Nesyri are not safe.
Al-Zahrani has drawn the battle lines. Now the question is whether Al-Ittihad move fast enough — and cut deep enough — to give Wissing a team that truly looks like his.
