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Done dealUpdated 07:47 UK · 27 Aug

Eduard Spertsyan to Al Ahli
Krasnodar's record sale confirmed

FC KrasnodarAl AhliAl AhliFee€22mReliability100%
The story so far
  1. 7 Jul
    Transfer confirmed
    Krasnodar's press service officially announced Spertsyan's move to Al Ahli, with the player thanking the club in a farewell message.
  2. 6 Jul
    Medical completed
    Spertsyan passed his medical and signed a contract with Al Ahli, with only the official announcement still to follow.

The move in full

Krasnodar's captain and record goal contributor has completed a move to Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli in a reported €21.9m deal.

Krasnodar's press service confirmed on 7 July that captain Eduard Spertsyan has completed a move to Saudi Pro League club Al Ahli, in a transfer reported by Transfermarkt at €21.9m. Fabrizio Romano reported the fee at $25m, while other outlets in Russia and Saudi Arabia put the total nearer €22-25m before add-ons. Whichever figure is closest, it eclipses what Krasnodar received for goalkeeper Matvei Safonov's move to Paris Saint-Germain, making Spertsyan the most expensive departure in the club's history. The 26-year-old Armenia captain has signed a four-year contract with Al Ahli running to the summer of 2030, with the option of a further year, and is reported to be earning around €6m a year, tax-free, in Saudi Arabia. The official confirmation followed reports on 6 July that Spertsyan had already passed a medical and signed his contract, with only the announcement itself left to come.

Al Ahli went into the transfer window needing fresh legs in the final third after letting Franck Kessié and Riyad Mahrez leave. Ivan Toney had carried an outsized share of the club's goalscoring the previous season, with the next-best scorer nowhere near his tally, and Al Ahli wanted a proven creator to take some of that weight off him. Spertsyan, who plays further forward than the departed Kessié, fits that need: a number 10 who can both score himself and supply others from behind the main striker.

For Krasnodar, this is as significant a departure as it gets. Spertsyan is an academy graduate who captained the club to its first-ever Russian Premier League title and became its second-highest scorer of all time, with 58 goals and 44 assists in 185 appearances. In a farewell message released through the club's press service, he said it was time to move on to a new stage of his career. Replacing that level of leadership and end product in central midfield will not be straightforward for Krasnodar.

He leaves on the back of his best season yet. In 2025-26 Spertsyan finished top of the Russian Premier League's assist charts with 16 and was the division's second-highest scorer with 13 goals, output that underlines why Saudi clubs were keen to sign him. That form has travelled with him: he scored the winning goal on his competitive debut for Al Ahli against Diriyah Club on the opening weekend of the new Saudi Pro League season, creating six chances — twice as many as anyone else on the pitch — while completing 96.6% of his passes.

Al Ahli have already changed manager since agreeing the deal, with Matthias Jaissle leaving for Newcastle United and Marino Pusic, formerly of Shakhtar Donetsk, taking charge shortly before the season began. Spertsyan's early performances suggest the switch of both club and coach has not slowed him down. He is already combining with Toney and looks like the creative outlet Al Ahli were missing behind their main striker last season, in a squad that also features Galeno and Enzo Millot in attack.

What it does to the model

Krasnodar go into the new season without their main creator and top scorer from midfield, which typically shows up as fewer chances created and goals scored until they find a replacement. Al Ahli, meanwhile, add a proven goal threat and passer who has already scored and created chances on his debut, which should feed into a higher expected output for their attack once Bawler has enough matches under the new-look side to update its numbers.

How this is scored100%
  • Announced by the clubs100

A sourcing score, not a chance of completion: it grades how solid the reporting behind the move is. The stage and the evidence come from the sources listed below; the arithmetic is fixed in code, the same for every deal.

Sources

Related: Al Ahli team page · All transfersAl Ahli — every match prediction

Where this move lands

Al AhliAl AhliJoined
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