Press reports revealed that the Saudi club Al-Ittihad Jeddah has entered into serious negotiations with a surprising name to succeed the Portuguese Sergio Conceição in coaching the first team next season.
The club had officially announced the dismissal of Conceição from his position at the end of the season, as the decision to leave came due to declining results, after finishing the season in fifth place and exiting the elite AFC Champions League from the quarter-finals.
Jens Vissing is close to coaching Al-Ittihad Saudi Club
According to the "Al-Riyadiyah" newspaper, Al-Ittihad Jeddah club has finalized an agreement with the German Jens Vissing, coach of the Japanese team Gamba Osaka, to coach the first football team in the new season, succeeding Conceição.
The Japanese team Gamba Osaka had won the AFC Champions League 2 title after defeating the Saudi team Al-Nassr in the match held between the two teams at "First Park" stadium.
The German Jens Vissing worked as an assistant coach with Borussia Mönchengladbach "B" team for two years (2019-2021), then worked as an assistant to coach Roger Schmidt with the Dutch team PSV Eindhoven (2021-2022).
Jens Vissing continued as an assistant to coach Roger Schmidt with the Portuguese club Benfica (2022-2024), and then moved to take the position of assistant coach at the Austrian club Salzburg (2025).
The German began his coaching career with Gamba Osaka in January 2026 and won the AFC Champions League 2 title with them against Al-Nassr during the past season.
