Al Ahli Enter New Season After Offseason of Major Departures
Yahoo Sports
The short version
- Franck Kessie and Riyad Mahrez left Al Ahli after back-to-back Asian titles
- Manager Matthias Jaissle joined Newcastle United on the eve of the new season
- Sporting director Rui Pedro also departed the club
- Ivan Toney has opened the 2026-27 season in strong scoring form
Al Ahli head into the 2026-27 Roshn Saudi League without several key figures from their back-to-back Asian title wins.
Al Ahli have gone through a turbulent offseason ahead of the 2026-27 Roshn Saudi League campaign, with several important figures from their recent success moving on.
Franck Kessie and Riyad Mahrez, both central to the club's back-to-back Asian titles, departed the squad. Manager Matthias Jaissle also left shortly before the new season, taking over at Premier League club Newcastle United.
Sporting director Rui Pedro has also exited the club recently, completing a sweep of changes across the squad, bench and front office.
Ivan Toney, meanwhile, has made a fast start to the season and features prominently in the early race for the Golden Boot, having narrowly missed out on the award last time.
The 2026-27 Roshn Saudi League season is now underway, with Al Ahli adjusting to life without many of the pillars of their title-winning era.
Written by the Matchday Live desk from reporting by Yahoo Sports.
Read the original report at Yahoo Sports ↗