The Al Shabab Post
Market31 Aug 2026
Khalfan Ismail moves on
CSKA Moscow pay $15.0M, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.
Market31 Aug 2026
Leonardo Gutiérrez hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Al Shabab can pretend not to have heard.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Al Shabab
Erik was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market31 Aug 2026
Al Ahli expected to open talks for Saeed Hussain
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Al Shabab will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Market31 Aug 2026
Al Shabab bring in Mohamed Meïté on loan
A season-long audition: Al-Hilal still own him, but the shirt and the minutes are Al Shabab's to give. A loan is a bet both clubs believe they are winning.
Squad31 Aug 2026
The transfer that hurt Khalid Hassan most
Somebody else's move, somebody else's headline. What it left at Al Shabab is an empty peg and a footballer who keeps glancing at it.
In brief
- Squad Somebody is after Fahad Al Shamsi’s shirt
- Squad Ahmed Mabkhout is out on the grass again