Al Nassr reject: Al Shabab make Al Nashiari first summer signing after Union exit

Al Shabab have announced their first signing of the summer transfer window, bringing in former Al Ittihad midfielder Awwad Al Nashiari on a free transfer after the expiry of his contract with the Jeddah club.

The Riyadh side confirmed on their official X account that the 24-year-old Saudi international has agreed a two-year deal, running until 2028, with an option to extend for a further season.

Al Nashiari left Al Ittihad at the end of last season after the club chose not to renew his contract, ending a six-year spell with the “Tigers” that began when he was first promoted to the senior squad in 2020.

The move makes Al Nashiari the first official recruit of Al Shabab’s summer under new German head coach Thomas Letsch, who took charge recently following the departure of Algerian coach Noureddine Ben Zekri.

Fourth Al Ittihad departure of the summer

Al Nashiari was the fourth player to leave Al Ittihad in the current transfer window, following Colombia forward Ricardo Caballo, Brazilian midfielder Fabinho and Saudi winger Abdulaziz Al Bishi out of the club.

Unlike some of his former team-mates, Al Nashiari’s exit came without a transfer fee, with the midfielder free to choose his next destination once his deal concluded at the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

The central midfielder will now look to relaunch his career at Al Shabab, where greater game time is expected to be on offer in a squad being reshaped by Letsch ahead of the new Saudi Pro League season.

National team ambitions

Al Nashiari is hoping that regular starts in Riyadh will help him regain his place in the Saudi Arabia national team, having previously been involved in the squad that took part in the 2023 Arabian Gulf Cup.

Despite being on Al Ittihad’s books for six seasons and appearing regularly over the last four, his attacking output was limited. He played 80 matches for the first team in all competitions during that period, without scoring or providing an assist.

That record did not prevent him from breaking into the national set-up, but competition for places has intensified, and his move to Al Shabab is seen as an opportunity to reassert himself at both club and international level.

For Al Shabab, the signing marks the beginning of what is expected to be a busy summer as they look to rebuild after a disappointing campaign and give Letsch a younger core to work with in midfield.

Al Nashiari, meanwhile, will be aiming to convert the fresh start into a more prominent role than he enjoyed in his final months at Al Ittihad, as he seeks to turn solid defensive and positional performances into the kind of all-round impact that can revive his Green Falcons prospects.