Al Hilal’s big-money transfer window leaves key squad gaps exposed

Al Hilal’s summer spending spree, worth almost 900m Saudi riyals, has highlighted serious weaknesses in the squad rather than solving them, with the Saudi Pro League club now lacking a first-choice foreign right winger and facing a shortage of options at centre-back and centre-forward.

The Riyadh-based club signed nine players in the latest summer transfer window, including three high-profile Premier League arrivals: Gabriel Martinelli from Arsenal, Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa and Crysencio Summerville from West Ham.

The trio joined Al Hilal for a combined fee that placed all three among the five most expensive signings in the club’s history, according to Transfermarkt. Neymar remains top of that list at €90m, while Malcom is fourth at €60m.

Martinelli ranks second at €70m, Summerville is third at €64.5m and Watkins is fifth at €58.4m.

The three players also feature among the 10 biggest transfers in Saudi Pro League history. Martinelli and Summerville sit third and fourth respectively, behind Neymar and Colombia international Jhon Duran, while Watkins is 10th.

Alongside those foreign signings, Al Hilal recruited six domestic players. The total cost of their nine arrivals was approximately €206m, equivalent to around 900m Saudi riyals.

That made Al Hilal by some distance the biggest spenders in the summer window. Al Ahli were the next-highest spenders, investing about €84.2m, according to Transfermarkt.

Yet the scale of that investment has not produced a balanced squad.

Right-wing imbalance

Al Hilal allowed Brazilian winger Malcom to leave for UAE club Al Jazira without receiving a transfer fee. The 29-year-old had occupied the right-wing position for the previous three seasons and contributed 88 goals in 139 appearances, scoring 47 and creating 41.

His departure has left Sultan Mandash as the only recognised right winger in the squad. New arrival Sabri Dahal, who joined from Al Fayha, could also be used there, although manager Simone Inzaghi has indicated that he sees the youngster as a possible full-back.

The decision to release Malcom appears particularly questionable because Al Hilal replaced him with another Brazilian winger, Martinelli, who principally operates on the left. Summerville also prefers the same side.

Following Al Hilal’s victory over Al Shabab in the Riyadh derby, Inzaghi was asked about the apparent imbalance. He said Martinelli and Summerville would switch between the two wings, despite both being predominantly left-sided players.

That arrangement leaves Mandash unlikely to receive regular opportunities on the right, because one of the two expensive left wingers is likely to be used there instead.

The problem could become even more pronounced when captain Salem Al-Dawsari returns from injury. He could find himself competing with two foreign players signed to play in his position, after remaining at Al Hilal rather than moving to another Saudi Pro League or Qatari club.

The club also signed two domestic left wingers, Nawaf Al-Habashi from Al Hazem and Abdullah Al-Anazi from Al Fateh. With Martinelli, Summerville and Al-Dawsari all competing for that side, the two new arrivals may struggle to establish themselves.

The centre-forward dilemma

Al Hilal currently have 11 foreign players, but poor squad planning means they cannot make full use of the regulations allowing eight foreign players to start. The most obvious problem is at centre-forward.

The club allowed four strikers to leave during the summer. Those departures included Karim Benzema, Marcos Leonardo and Darwin Nunez, but the most significant loss from a squad-building perspective was Saudi striker Abdullah Radif.

Radif left Al Hilal on a free transfer to join Al Ahli after also attracting interest from city rivals Al Ittihad. His importance was not necessarily that he was better than every striker who remained or departed, but that he was Saudi.

He would have provided an ideal domestic back-up option for Watkins in Saudi Pro League matches. That would have enabled Inzaghi to start all eight of Al Hilal’s available foreign players instead of leaving one out of the starting line-up.

Instead, the manager has recently had to keep Ivory Coast forward Mohammed Qader Meite on the bench and select only seven foreign players from the start, so that he has a striker available to replace Watkins if required.

The issue began during the previous winter window, when Abdullah Al-Hamdan moved to Al Nassr and Radif went out on loan. Al Hilal struggled with the lack of cover during the second half of last season but did not resolve the weakness in the summer.

Inzaghi must now either use only seven foreign players in the starting XI or name no specialist replacement striker on the bench, relying on a winger to fill the role if necessary.

Defence remains short

The summer window also failed to address, and arguably worsened, Al Hilal’s centre-back problem. No defender was signed in that position, despite Inzaghi publicly stating that he wanted a new centre-back.

Al Hilal finished last season with five central defenders. Pablo Mari returned to his parent club when his loan ended, while Yusuf Akcicek was also close to leaving before remaining at the club after a late change of plan.

The squad now contains four centre-backs, which might appear sufficient under normal circumstances. However, the demands of a congested season increase the likelihood of injuries and suspension-related absences.

Those concerns surfaced early. Ali Lajami and Yusuf Akcicek were injured, before Kalidou Koulibaly also suffered a problem during the match against Al Ahli. Hassan Tambakti had only just returned from injury before those setbacks.

If the pattern continues, Inzaghi may again be forced to use Portugal midfielder Ruben Neves at centre-back, as he did against Neom. That would provide an emergency solution but would weaken Al Hilal in one of the most important areas of the pitch.

Responsibility for changing the club’s recent transfer strategy will now fall partly to new sporting director Richard Hughes. The Scottish executive joined Al Hilal after spending two years at Liverpool from 2024, where he helped deliver several strong signings in terms of both reputation and performance.

Al Hilal’s recent recruitment has been built around famous names and substantial fees. The summer window has instead underlined the need for a more complete approach: a squad with suitable quality in every position, and effective use of every available place rather than simply attempting to weaken rivals or accumulate high-profile players.