The new season is closing in, and the gaps in the squads of Roshn League's big clubs are already showing. Al-Ahli and Al-Nassr have very different needs, yet they share one problem. It sits in midfield, and more precisely in the holding role.
Neither club has managed to land the foreign signing that would solve it. That failure has turned the search for a holding midfielder from a transfer-window option into a genuine crisis, one that could shape both sides across the season ahead.
Al-Nassr: Al-Khaibari faces a new test
Al-Nassr go into the new campaign still leaning on Abdullah Al-Khaibari in the holding role, despite the criticism he has taken lately over certain performances and decisions on the pitch.
Samu Costa has arrived from Mallorca, true, but the midfielder will cover Brozovic's departure in the "8" role. That leaves the holding position in Al-Khaibari's hands alone.
Al-Ahli: Kessie's departure has left a clear void
At Al-Ahli, the problem looks even sharper. Franck Kessie has gone, and the management have yet to sign a direct replacement in the holding role.
Read also: Ronaldo and the last dance: will he leave Al-Nassr through the front door?
Kessie was no ordinary midfielder. He was central to the team's balance, thanks to his physical strength, his knack for winning the ball and offering defensive cover, plus a wealth of experience in tough matches.
Failing to replace him leaves Al-Ahli in a real bind. The team needs a player who can shield the back line and free the rest of the midfield to push forward and create.
One crisis, a different solution
Here lies the paradox. Both clubs have names capable of filling the role, but neither has a foreign player who offers the required upgrade over the long term.
Al-Nassr have Al-Khaibari, while Al-Ahli can turn to Valentin Atangana in some roles. Sticking with the current group could still pile pressure on both coaching staffs, especially against strong rivals.
Time is running out to gamble. The two clubs either move for a strong midfield signing, or they carry the consequences of starting the season with an obvious hole in one of the team's most important positions.
This shared crisis says something bigger. The strength of a transfer window is not measured by the number of marquee signings alone, but by a club's ability to plug the real gaps in its squad. That is exactly what Al-Ahli and Al-Nassr have yet to sort out.