Al-Ittihad Set to Sign Ritsu Doan as Diaby Replacement
Al-Ittihad are closing on one of the headline moves of their summer rebuild, with Japan international Ritsu Doan on the brink of a switch to Jeddah.
According to Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadiah, the club have reached an agreement with Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt for the transfer of the versatile attacker. The deal is in place, the report states, with only a few contractual details left before Al-Ittihad can finally unveil their new signing.
The timing is no coincidence. Doan’s expected arrival comes in direct response to the departure of French winger Moussa Diaby, who has left “the Dean” for Bayer Leverkusen. Losing one of their most prominent attacking names forced Al-Ittihad back into the market in search of a forward capable not only of replacing Diaby, but expanding the team’s options in the final third.
Doan fits that brief.
Comfortable across multiple attacking positions, the Japanese star offers flexibility between the lines and out wide, as well as the kind of European experience Al-Ittihad’s hierarchy now view as essential. His years on European pitches have shaped a player used to high-intensity games, quick transitions, and tactical discipline — qualities that align with the club’s plan to reshape both style and squad after a turbulent summer.
The pressure to get this deal over the line has grown as Al-Ittihad move away from many of the names that defined their previous project. Doan is seen as part of a new core, a player who can help give the team a different identity in the Roshn League and provide the coach with sharper, more modern attacking tools.
Al-Riyadiah reports that the agreement between Al-Ittihad and Eintracht Frankfurt is already done, with both sides simply working through the remaining formalities before the transfer becomes official. For the Jeddah club, it is now a waiting game — the announcement is described as a matter of time.
This move slots into a wider recruitment drive. After a summer of upheaval, the Al-Ittihad board are intent on delivering a squad that can execute the coach’s ideas with greater precision and variety. Doan’s ability to drift between roles, create overloads, and threaten goal himself makes him a key piece in that puzzle.
If all goes as expected, Ritsu Doan will step straight into the space vacated by Diaby in the Al-Ittihad squad, tasked with lifting the team’s attacking output and helping to power a fresh project in Jeddah.
The fans of “the Dean” now wait for the only thing missing: the official confirmation, and the sight of a new Japanese star walking into a club determined to reinvent itself.
