Al Ahli reeling again as Matthias Jaissle resignation continues pattern of unwanted coaching exits

Nuhu Adams July 30, 2026

German coach Matthias Jaissle has become the latest manager to leave Al Ahli against the club’s wishes, after submitting his resignation on Thursday in order to take charge of Newcastle United next season.

Reports in Saudi Arabia state that Jaissle informed Al Ahli he intends to depart at the end of the current campaign to succeed his former boss Eddie Howe at St James’ Park. The move would see the 36-year-old make a high-profile switch from the Saudi Pro League to the Premier League.

Jaissle’s decision has placed Al Ahli – commonly known as “Al-Raqi” – in a difficult position, forcing the Jeddah club to consider yet another change in the dugout as they plan for the new season.

The German is not the first coach to walk away from Al Ahli during the era of the Saudi Professional League. Two other managers previously shocked the club by choosing to leave, despite the hierarchy wanting them to stay on.

Those earlier departures established an unwelcome pattern in which Al Ahli’s long-term plans have been disrupted by coaches opting to move on, rather than being dismissed or reaching the natural end of their contracts.

In each case, the exits came at moments when Al Ahli were seeking stability and continuity, only for the club to be drawn back into the cycle of searching for a new head coach and reshaping the technical staff.

Jaissle’s resignation has revived memories of those previous episodes, with supporters again watching a head coach depart under his own steam rather than as part of a planned transition.

Al Ahli, one of Saudi Arabia’s most prominent clubs, have invested heavily in recent seasons in an effort to re-establish themselves among the country’s dominant forces, making the timing and manner of Jaissle’s decision all the more sensitive internally.

The club must now address the immediate issue of succession while also confronting the broader challenge of building a project that can withstand the sudden loss of a head coach.

Newcastle United, meanwhile, are reported to have turned to Jaissle as they look for a fresh direction after Eddie Howe, with the German set to be handed the task of guiding the Premier League side in the coming campaign.

The development has left Al Ahli once more dealing with the fallout of a coach’s unexpected exit – a situation the club has experienced twice before and had hoped was now firmly in the past.