New Signing Shake-Up: Al-Ittihad Replaces Benzema with Monaco's Ellinikena
3 February 2026
Transfer News
Al-Ittihad has officially signed Nigerian striker George Ellinikena from Monaco during the recent winter mercato.
The club posted a video of Ellinikena’s goals on its Facebook account, captioning it: "The talented George Ellinikena... a new tiger in the squad".
Renowned journalist Fabrice Hawkins, noted for Mont Carlo, tweeted that Al-Ittihad reached agreement with Monaco for Ellinikena at 33 million euros.
Meanwhile, the club faced a attacking crisis as Karim Benzema stalled with management over a new deal, missing matches against Al-Fath and Al-Najmah in rounds 19 and 20 of Roshn Pro League, before agreeing to terminate his contract and move to Al Hilal.
This signing signals bold shift for Al-Ittihad.
Punchline 1: That’s one hot deal.
Punchline 2: Benzema, who saw that coming?
