Al-Ittihad Nears Ritsu Doan Transfer Completion
Al-Ittihad are not lingering over their rebuild. With one of their key attacking pieces gone, the Jeddah giants have moved quickly, and a replacement is now all but in the door.
According to Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadiah, Al-Ittihad have reached an agreement with Eintracht Frankfurt for the transfer of Japan international Ritsu Doan. Only the final contractual details stand between the winger and a move to the Roshn League, with both clubs understood to be waiting on formalities before going public.
The timing is no coincidence. Doan’s expected arrival comes on the heels of Moussa Diaby’s departure to Bayer Leverkusen, a high-profile exit that ripped a hole in Al-Ittihad’s attacking structure. Losing one of their most prominent forwards forced “the Dean” back into the market for a player who could not only cover those duties, but expand the team’s options in the final third.
Doan fits that brief. The Japanese attacker can operate across several positions in the front line, drifting wide, tucking inside, or linking play between the lines. He brings with him a solid bank of European experience, the kind of background Al-Ittihad’s hierarchy value as they attempt to reshape a squad that carried the weight of a previous, now-discarded project.
The deal with Eintracht Frankfurt is described as done in principle. Agreement between the clubs is in place; the wait now is for signatures and the official reveal. Inside the corridors of the Jeddah club, the move is seen as another key step in a broader recruitment drive after a summer of upheaval.
Al-Ittihad’s management want to arm their coach with a more flexible, tactically adaptable group, one capable of translating his ideas into a fresher, sharper identity on the pitch. Doan, with his versatility and work rate, is being lined up as a central figure in that shift.
If, as expected, the final hurdles are cleared, Ritsu Doan will walk into the role vacated by Diaby and be asked to inject new life into Al-Ittihad’s attack. For now, the fans wait, watching for the club’s announcement and the first glimpse of the Japanese international in the colours of “the Dean” as a new chapter takes shape.
