Mohamed Salah and Al-Ittihad: a journey towards reclaiming the summit or a fall into the abyss?

For more than 15 years, Mohamed Salah has made the right wing his home, shining in the position he is expected to fill at Al-Ittihad. Yet that could change, depending on how a few things play out.

Al-Ittihad already have a foreign player out on the right in France's Moussa Diaby. His name, though, is linked with an exit from "the Tigers" this summer.

Diaby's departure would hand Salah the right-wing berth. Keep him, and the Egyptian could find himself in a role he never grew used to across his career, one he has only recently begun to master.

That role could be playmaker, or second striker. Germany's Jens Wissing, the Al-Ittihad head coach, leans heavily on a 4-2-3-1, with a player operating behind the lone striker.

Normally that player would be Algeria's Houssem Aouar. His name is also being linked with a move away from Al-Ittihad, which could clear the path for Salah to step in.

Salah thrived there for Egypt at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. He scored one goal and set up two more in five matches, ranking among the best players for "the Pharaohs".

The new position spares the Egyptian much of the running. He no longer has to track back to cover the full-back, and it lets him lean on his experience: feeding the wingers and the striker, dictating the tempo of the game.

The bigger problem, however, is that Salah cannot be the magic solution to Al-Ittihad's crises. The issue runs deeper than him, and the Saudi club is in no position to rescue the Egyptian star right now.

Salah and Al-Ittihad served up one of their worst campaigns last season, with the Saudi club coming away empty-handed. No titles, no trophies. And this after a historic year crowned with the double of the Roshn League and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup.

Fifth place was where the Saudi side finished in the league. They also crashed out of the AFC Champions League Elite in the quarter-finals, and both the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup and the Saudi Super Cup in the semi-finals.

"The Dean" sacked French coach Laurent Blanc at the start of the season, then Portuguese boss Sergio Conceicao at the end of it. Now they begin a new phase with German coach Jens Wissing, who has only worked as a head coach for the last six months.

Technically, Al-Ittihad still carry several other flaws they have yet to fix. The midfield needs bodies at the very least, and the coach lacks conviction in Moroccan striker Youssef En-Nesyri.

Every one of these indicators points to a difficult season for Al-Ittihad. Mohamed Salah may help to fix it, but he will not be able to do it alone.

Salah himself struggled badly last season too, spending several matches on the substitutes' bench and failing to make an impact when he did feature, until he took the decision to leave of his own accord.

The Egyptian star played 41 matches for Liverpool last season, scoring 12 goals and providing 10 assists. Statistically and in terms of his level, it was his weakest campaign with the Reds.

With his physical decline now obvious, Salah needs a quieter experience, one free of the heavy pressure on his shoulders. The Saudi league offers no such thing, and Al-Ittihad least of all.

Few sets of supporters demand more than Al-Ittihad's. Look no further than the sacking of Laurent Blanc, who won the league and cup double the season before last, only to be dismissed four rounds into the following campaign. It was his first defeat after three straight wins.

Arriving as a new face following Karim Benzema's departure last winter, Salah will carry the whole weight of expectation. Every eye will be on him alone, waiting for him to make the difference. He cannot do that on his own.

The move to Al-Ittihad, if it goes through, is a major gamble. It could return the Egyptian star to the summit as the hero who rescues the Tigers, or plunge him into the abyss if he fails to deliver.