Predrag Rajković (foto: uradna spletna stran kluba)
Predrag Rajković may leave Al Ittihad in January as coach Sérgio Conceição prefers to use all foreign-player slots on outfield players.
Predrag Rajković could leave Al Ittihad in the winter transfer window despite being one of the most reliable goalkeepers in Saudi Arabia. His potential departure has nothing to do with performance, but with coach Sérgio Conceição’s strategic approach.
The Portuguese coach, who replaced Laurent Blanc a few months ago, does not want to use one of his foreign-player spots on a goalkeeper. Under league rules, clubs can field up to eight foreign players at the same time, and Conceição wants all eight to be outfield players to increase tactical options.
For that reason, he plans to bring in a Saudi goalkeeper in January. According to Al Riyad, the top candidate is Mohammed Al-Owais, the experienced national-team keeper currently at Al Ula, who previously played for Al Hilal before the arrival of Morocco’s Yassine Bounou.
While Rajković was injured, Conceição attempted to promote young Al-Shanqeeti as the new first-choice goalkeeper, but a series of errors forced him to restore the Serbian international to the starting lineup. Still, that does not guarantee Rajković will remain first choice from January onwards, given the club’s foreign-player strategy.
There is no doubt that Rajković will attract plenty of interest, including from Europe. The main question is whether any European club can match the financial terms he currently enjoys in Saudi Arabia.