Al-Ahli excels in foreign signings by avoiding big-name stars, says Abdullah Al-Hunayan

Sports journalist Abdullah Al-Hunayan has revealed the secret behind Al-Ahli’s success in selecting foreign players, highlighting that the club’s focus on quality and steering clear of high-profile, widely popular stars is a key factor in their achievements in this area.

Speaking to Al Arabiya FM, Al-Hunayan said Al-Ahli’s management has the opportunity to choose players who can truly add value to the team, rather than simply targeting well-known names from Europe. He noted that many examples in the Saudi Pro League in recent years have shown that players without major European reputations have succeeded.

He added that criticism of sporting director Pedro does not necessarily mean all his work was poor, pointing out that the fan anger following the departure of coach Matthias Jaissle was understandable, given the achievements and technical stability Al-Ahli enjoyed compared to their rivals.

Al-Hunayan explained that signing some well-known European stars can sometimes bring lower ambitions, new problems, and costs that exceed the player’s true market value. He stressed that the solution lies in making wise choices and, in some cases, not signing certain players at all.

He noted that a player’s massive popularity may justify signing them only in exceptional cases, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, or Kylian Mbappé, but he does not believe fame alone is enough to warrant recruiting other players.

Al-Hunayan also criticized some of the recruitment committee’s choices, saying that the presence of certain names on the player list since the committee’s launch in 2023 raises questions. He emphasized that the root issue is the quality of selection, and called for improving recruitment standards to better serve the club’s sporting project.