January window hold-up: Al Ahli Jeddah hunts a solution to its attacking slump

Al Ahli Jeddah has found a single solution to end its attacking crisis that has plagued them since the start of the current season, but it won’t be available until the upcoming January transfer window.

Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadhiyah reports that German coach Matias Jaissle, the head coach, met Friday with the club’s sporting director Rui Pedro to discuss the team’s tactical situation.

The German coach told Pedro about the team’s struggles in attack, according to data tracked by his technical staff.

Jaissle asked Pedro to bolster the squad with attacking signings during the winter window, and the sporting director agreed; the meeting ended with consensus on this.

The winter transfer window is set to open on January 5 and run until February 2.

Weak Attack

Al Ahli has suffered a clear attacking weakness in recent times, especially in the Saudi Pro League.

Since the start of the season, Al Ahli have not scored more than one goal in more than two matches, drawing 3-3 with Al Hilal in Round 3 and beating Al Hazm 2-0 in Round 4.

In contrast, Al Ahli have scored just one goal in four games, and failed to score in the draw with Al Ettifaq in Round 2.

Overall, Al Ahli have played seven league games this season, scoring 9 goals and conceding 5.

This attacking weakness has contributed to four draws, the highest number of draws this season in the Saudi League.

With three more wins, Al Ahli sit fifth with 13 points, five behind leaders Al Nasr who have played one fewer game.

Galeno Absence

Undoubtedly, one factor behind this attacking weakness is the absence of Brazilian winger Wenderson Galeno, who was among the team’s stars last season and central to their Elite AFC Champions League title.

The Brazilian star suffered an injury ahead of the Sept. match against Nasaf Qarshi in the first round of the Elite AFC Champions League, keeping him out since then.

Because of that injury, the club’s board under Khalid Al-Ghamdi dismissed the first-team medical staff completely.

Details indicate Galeno’s injury was not properly diagnosed for over a month, worsening his condition and sidelining him longer than expected, angering management and staff and making changes in the medical team urgent.

The Saudi newspaper Al-Youm reported that this error irritated the coaching staff who felt the medical team failed to determine the injury’s nature or provide a precise treatment plan, causing friction between the technical and medical teams before the management intervened to settle the matter with a dismissal.

Since his injury against Nasaf, Galeno’s absence has clearly affected Ahli’s attacking system; he is a key element in Jaissle’s lineup.

To date, Galeno has not delivered the expected contribution this season (2025-2026), appearing in 6 matches for 381 minutes, without a goal or assist.

Wenderson Galeno joined Al Ahli in January 2025 from Porto for around €50 million, signing a contract through June 2028.

In his Al Ahli career so far, Galeno has played 24 matches with 7 goals and 5 assists, but recurring injuries this season have slowed his progress, leading some fans to call him “the deal that hasn’t completed yet.”

Foreign-Player Logjam

Nevertheless, signing new players in the upcoming winter window will be difficult, particularly for foreign players.

Al Ahli currently has 11 foreign players, including 8 over-age, and it will be hard to release any of them or drop them from the local squad.

Among the over-age foreigners for Ahli are Senegalese goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, defenders Merih Demiral and Roger Ibanez, midfielders Frank Kessie and Enzo Milot, and forwards Riyad Mahrez, Wenderson Galeno, and Englishman Ivan Toni.

Under-23 players for the club include midfielder Valentin Atangana, Brazilian winger Matheus Gonçalves, and Belgian full-back Matteo Dams.