August 10, (THEWILL) – Brazilian centre-back, Roger Ibanez, has signed with Saudi Arabian club, Al-Ahli, the team announced Thursday.
The 26-year-old defender joins Al-Ahli on a four-year contract, after three seasons with Italian side, AS Roma. Ibanez appeared in 48 matches across all competitions for Roma last campaign under manager, Jose Mourinho, notching three goals. He initially joined the club on loan in 2020 before Roma exercised its option to sign him permanently from Atalanta in 2021.
Al-Ahli recently hired German coach, Matthias Jaissle, to helm the team for the next three years. Jaissle joins after being let go by Austrian club, Red Bull Salzburg, earlier this year. The signing of Ibanez is the latest high-profile transfer for Al-Ahli as the club rebuilds its roster after earning promotion back to the Saudi Pro League last season. Al-Ahli has also brought in talents like Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino, Edouard Mendy, and Franck Kessie over the summer.
The move comes amid heavy investment in Saudi Arabian football by the nation’s sovereign wealth fund. The Public Investment Fund owns 75 percent of Al-Ahli along with the country’s other top clubs like Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, and Al-Hilal as part of a privatisation project, with each team’s foundation holding the remaining 25 percent.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
