After Karim Benzema Threatened Exit, Al Ittihad Agree to a Swap Deal With Steven Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq: Reports

It was just coming. Karim Benzema had to push Al Ittihad out of its comfort zone. The defending champions of the Saudi Pro League seem to be slumbering on the pitch this season. But a heads-up from their lethal goalscorer Benzema has got them up and running again. As per reports, the club will now make a triple swap deal with Al Ettifaq involving five players making moves to improve the team.

Al Ittihad, which is also backed up by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), did not hold back in spending the big bucks during the last transfer window. However, the purchases and the team combinations seemed to lack strength, weakening the club.

Al Ittihad will receive a host of players in three positions from the Al Ettifaq swap deal!

It’s almost been a similar situation for both Al Ittihad and Al Ettifaq this season, which is not being able to compete with bigger teams. Hence, both of them have agreed to a major swap deal, according to reports. Reporter, Majid Hood claims that three players from Al Ettifaq will move to Al Ittihad, and two players vice versa. Al Ittihad will be sending two attackers, Haroune Camara and Abdulrahman Al-Oboud. Hardly starting games for the team this season, both players were used mainly from the bench, and neither has scored a goal yet.

However, both have registered three assists in total with the limited time they’ve got on the pitch. On the other side, Steven Gerrard’s team will be sending three players.

Contrarily to Ettifaq, Karim Benzema, who wanted a good upgrade to the squad, will receive a diverse set of players. After letting go of a winger and a forward, Ittihad will receive a center-back, a midfielder, and a winger in the form of Saad Al-Mousa, Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, and Hamed Al-Ghamdi. Even though Hamed Al-Ghamdi played 13 games (3 in the Starting XI) this season, he could not make an adequate impact scoring just one goal and two assists. Hopefully, Benzema’s concerns about the team’s overall strength will be wiped away after these players make the move. What had happened?

Karim Benzema warned Al Ittihad after below-par performances

The humiliating 2-5 loss against Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nassr was just too much for the 5-time UEFA Champions League winner to take. The lethal goalscorer was also bombarded with criticism from the fanbase. This resulted in Karim Benzema boycotting the team training sessions, and vanishing from the club, while, behind the scenes, asking the board to sign more players this January.

READ MORE – France Legend Says Karim Benzema ‘Regrets’ Al Ittihad Move; Calls Saudi Pro League an ‘Artificial Championship’

The striker, along with teammates Abderrazak Hamdallah and Igor Coronado, have been the only players to make an impact for the club. The reigning champions are shockingly 7th on the table, with a Steven Gerrard-led Al Ettifaq next to them. With the anticipated exchange of players, both teams will now hope to improve their formations and gameplay on the pitch.

Any thoughts on the exchange deals? Let us know in the comments below.

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