Al Faisaly enter the 2026/27 Saudi Pro League campaign as returning giants, back in the top flight after a four-year absence. The club’s rebuild has been sweeping: Italian coach Giovanni Solinas, who guided the team to promotion, has overseen the arrival of fifteen new players, including eight foreign professionals. But the step up in class has been brutal. Seven matches, zero wins, and a place at the bottom of the table tell the story of a squad still searching for its identity against vastly superior opposition.
Technical Leadership & Coaching Profile
Manager: Giovanni Solinas
Tactical Philosophy: Solinas has built his Al Faisaly side on defensive organisation and rapid counter-attacks, the approach that delivered promotion from the Saudi First Division. The Italian favours a 4-1-4-1 shape, a system that prioritises compactness in central lanes and uses the pace of Theo Bongonda and Christian Bassogog on the flanks to spring forward. The problem in the opening weeks has been the ease with which Saudi Pro League opponents have carved through that block. Thirteen goals conceded in seven matches is a rate that guarantees relegation unless corrected.
Preferred Formations: 4-1-4-1, with occasional shifts to a 4-2-2-2 depending on opponent and game state.
Strategic Transfer Activity
Al Faisaly’s summer was defined by necessity and scale. The club signed fifteen new players, with eight foreign professionals and six domestic additions, a complete rebuild around the promotion-winning core that survived. The strategy was clear: add proven Saudi Pro League experience to a squad that lacked top-flight know-how, while retaining the tactical identity that delivered promotion.
Table A: Summer Major Transfer Influx
| Player | Position | Former Club | Fee Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fernando Pacheco | Goalkeeper | Undisclosed | Undisclosed |
| Andrei Girotto | Centre-Back | Undisclosed | Undisclosed |
| Abdoulaye Seck | Centre-Back | Undisclosed | Undisclosed |
| Jaime Seoane | Midfielder | Huesca | Undisclosed |
| Christian Bassogog | Winger | Al Akhdoud | Undisclosed |
| Theo Bongonda | Winger | Undisclosed | Undisclosed |
| Alexandre Mendy | Striker | Undisclosed | Undisclosed |
| Flávio | Midfielder | Al Taawoun | Free |
| Ayman Fallatah | Midfielder | Al Ahli | Loan |
| Jean-Charles Ahoua | Midfielder | CR Belouizdad | Undisclosed |
The headline additions reflect a deliberate pivot toward Saudi Pro League experience. Christian Bassogog and Flávio arrive with years of top-flight football in the Kingdom, their familiarity with the division’s demands invaluable. Andrei Girotto, a Brazilian centre-back with Serie A pedigree, anchors the defence, while Abdoulaye Seck provides physical presence alongside him. Jaime Seoane joined from Huesca to add technical quality to the engine room, and Alexandre Mendy offers a focal point through the middle. Ayman Fallatah arrived on loan from Al Ahli just hours before the season opener against Al Hilal, a signal of the club’s determination to strengthen despite the late timing.
The First-Team Roster
Goalkeepers
Fernando Pacheco (#1): The Spanish goalkeeper has started all seven league matches, conceding thirteen goals behind a defence that has been repeatedly exposed. Pacheco’s shot-stopping remains reliable, but the volume of chances Al Faisaly have conceded has made his task thankless. His distribution under pressure is central to Solinas’s build-up, though the returns have been mixed.
Abdullah Al-Fakhouri (#): The Jordanian goalkeeper joined as part of the summer rebuild, providing competition and depth.
Ahmed Al-Rehaili: The Saudi goalkeeper provides further cover between the posts.
Defenders
Andrei Girotto (#): The Brazilian centre-back is the defensive cornerstone. Girotto’s experience in France and Brazil brings composure to a back line that has struggled for consistency, and his passing range allows Al Faisaly to build from deep.
Abdoulaye Seck (#): The Senegalese defender has started every league match, his physicality and aerial ability providing the steel that complements Girotto’s composure. Seck has also contributed a goal, a rare bright spot from set-pieces.
Mohammed Al Shanqiti (#): The Saudi left-back has started all seven matches, his energy and defensive discipline making him a reliable outlet on the flank.
Khalid Al-Harbi (#): The right-back provides width and attacking thrust, though his defensive positioning has been tested against the league’s elite wingers.
Mohammed Jahfali (#): The experienced Saudi centre-back has captained the side in recent matches, his leadership and reading of the game offering stability in a young defensive unit.
Midfielders
Jaime Seoane (#): The Spanish midfielder is the creative fulcrum of the new-look midfield. Seoane’s passing range and set-piece delivery make him the primary conduit between defence and attack, and he has contributed an assist in the opening weeks.
Abdulrahman Sharif (#): The Saudi midfielder is one of only two players retained from last season’s promotion-winning squad, alongside Mohammed Al Shanqiti. His understanding of Solinas’s system and his energy in central areas make him a valuable presence.
Abdullah Al-Mogren (#): The midfielder joined permanently from Al Fateh after a loan spell last season. His work rate and tactical discipline provide the defensive screen that allows Seoane to operate freely.
Flávio (#): The Brazilian midfielder arrived on a free transfer from Al Taawoun, bringing years of Saudi Pro League experience. Described by the club as “the master of midfield and the rhythm setter,” Flávio’s composure under pressure and ability to dictate tempo are central to Solinas’s counter-attacking approach.
Ayman Fallatah (#): The loan signing from Al Ahli arrived on deadline day, adding energy and competition to the engine room.
Jean-Charles Ahoua (#): The Ivorian midfielder signed a two-season contract, his physicality and ball-carrying offering a different profile to Seoane’s technical elegance.
Forwards
Alexandre Mendy (#): The Guinea-Bissau international is the focal point of Al Faisaly’s attack. Mendy has scored one goal and provided one assist in the opening weeks, his movement and finishing offering the primary threat.
Theo Bongonda (#): The Congolese winger provides pace and directness on the flank. His one goal in the opening weeks demonstrates his ability to arrive in scoring positions, and his dribbling makes him a constant outlet on the counter.
Christian Bassogog (#): The Cameroonian winger, a former African Cup of Nations winner, joined from Al Akhdoud to add experience and goal threat. Bassogog’s one goal and one assist in the opening weeks underline his importance to Solinas’s attacking structure.
Claudio Maradona (#): The Brazilian striker arrived in September as a late addition to the attacking line. His experience across Brazil, Portugal, the UAE, and Iraq provides a different profile through the middle.
Leadership Group & Squad Regulations
Club Captain: Mohammed Jahfali
The experienced centre-back has worn the armband in recent matches, his leadership and Saudi Pro League know-how providing a reference point for a squad in transition. Andrei Girotto has also captained the side, his European experience offering an alternative leadership voice.
The Leadership Committee: Jaime Seoane and Christian Bassogog provide leadership across the squad, their experience in Spanish and Saudi football respectively bridging the gap between the foreign contingent and the domestic core.
Financial & Contractual Health
Financial Balance Overview: Al Faisaly’s squad valuation of approximately €13.7 million reflects the club’s modest resources relative to the Saudi Pro League’s elite. The strategy of free transfers and loan deals, exemplified by the arrivals of Flávio and Fallatah, demonstrates a pragmatic approach to squad building within financial constraints.
Contract Red Alerts: The loan signing of Ayman Fallatah from Al Ahli is a one-season arrangement, meaning the club will need to plan for his replacement. The long-term futures of key foreign players will depend on the club’s ability to avoid relegation.
The Academy Pipeline & Loan Tracker
Breakout Talents to Watch: Al Faisaly’s Saudi core includes players such as Abdulrahman Sharif and Mohammed Al Shanqiti who have made the step up from the promotion-winning squad. The club’s academy pathway continues to produce domestic talent, though the focus this season has been on immediate survival rather than development.
Set-Piece Specialists & FPL Cheat Sheet
Penalties: Alexandre Mendy (First Choice) / Christian Bassogog (Second Choice).
Direct Free-Kicks: Jaime Seoane / Flávio.
Corners & Crosses: Jaime Seoane is the primary deliverer, with Mohammed Al Shanqiti and Theo Bongonda offering alternatives from wide areas.
For Fantasy Saudi Pro League managers, Alexandre Mendy is the standout Al Faisaly asset given his penalty duties and role as the focal point. Christian Bassogog’s goal involvement and set-piece duties make him a viable midfield option. Fernando Pacheco’s save volume, behind a defence that has conceded thirteen goals in seven matches, could yield points in systems that reward goalkeeping interventions.
Final Outlook: Navigating the Tactical Horizon
Al Faisaly enter the 2026/27 season in the midst of a survival crisis. Seven matches, zero wins, and a place at the bottom of the table represent the worst possible start for a newly promoted side. The 4-2 defeat at Al Hilal on the opening day was respectable, but the subsequent 0-2 home loss to Neom and the 1-3 defeat to Al Ittihad exposed the gulf in quality.
The integration of fifteen new players was always going to take time, and the opening weeks have been unforgiving. Solinas’s 4-1-4-1 system showed promise in the 2-4 defeat to Al Hilal, where Al Faisaly managed 50% possession and fifteen crosses. But the defensive frailties that characterised the early weeks must be addressed immediately if the club is to avoid an immediate return to the second tier.
The attacking burden rests on Mendy, Bongonda, and Bassogog, three players with proven track records in Saudi football. If they can find a consistent goalscoring rhythm, Al Faisaly have the firepower to climb the table. The return of confidence and cohesion, forged through the promotion campaign, must be rediscovered before the season slips away. The margin is fine, and Al Faisaly are already on the wrong side of it.
