Al-Ittihad head coach Jens Wissing has begun mapping out the changes he wants to make to the "Dean's" squad in the upcoming winter transfer window. The German is determined to reshape the team around his technical ideas and his needs on the pitch.
"Kooora" has learned from a source close to Al-Ittihad that Wissing is moving towards parting ways with at least three players in January. The plan is to free up places in the squad and give the management room to sign new faces capable of meeting his technical requirements.
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According to the source, the German coach is not fully satisfied with some of the names in the current squad and wants changes in more than one position. Saudi forward Saleh Al-Shehri sits at the top of the exit list, with Wissing keen to sign a younger centre-forward.
Within the next few days, the coach will hand the club's management a technical report assessing a number of players and setting out his recommendations on their future. That report is expected to name two others, Moath Faqeehi and Hamed Al-Ghamdi. The trio are the leading candidates to leave in January, barring new developments in the technical staff's thinking.
Al-Ittihad are chasing several titles this season, chief among them the AFC Champions League Elite and the Roshn Saudi Pro League. That is why they want players capable of delivering the success they are after.