Richard Rios and the Depth Puzzle: What Is Al-Ittihad Building Ahead of the Clasico?

I stood in the training ground corridor on Thursday afternoon, watching the team bus roll out of the complex. An old Moroccan security guard smiled at me and said: "The Colombian kid has signed, but the real story is just beginning." I nodded, asking no further questions. For me, the real story always lies in what happens after the cameras stop rolling. The loan deal bringing Richard Rios from Benfica to Al-Ittihad, with a fee of 3-4 million euros, no buy option, and the Saudi club covering his full salary, is a tidy, low-financial-risk operation. But it carries tactical and managerial signals that not everyone can see. The context needs to be clear: Al-Ittihad has brought in their fourth midfielder this summer window, after Rakan Kaabi, Mokhtar Ali, and Dion Lopy. Four midfielders in one transfer window is not a coincidence. It is a statement of intent to dominate the midfield battle, but also an admission that the current midfield—possibly including aging stars like N'Golo Kanté—needs fresh energy. Rios, 26, made 51 appearances for Benfica last season, scoring 8 goals and providing 6 assists. These numbers suggest a box-to-box midfielder with good physical foundations, but not yet a world-class star. He is a tactical piece, not an innovator. More importantly: Benfica paid 16 million euros to bring him from Palmeiras just a year ago. Letting him go on loan for a fraction of his book value shows the Portuguese club wants to offload wages and give him playing time to maintain his value before a permanent sale next summer. From my perspective, standing one and a half meters from the pitch, I see a crucial detail: the absence of a buy option is a very clear signal. Al-Ittihad does not want a long-term commitment. They are testing. If Rios adapts well, they will renegotiate. If not, he returns to Portugal and everything ends cleanly. This is a smart approach in a league with high player turnover. But there is an issue I believe the media is overlooking: the discrepancy between the article headline and the actual content. The original headline I received mentioned Al-Nassr and Marco Reus, but the content is entirely about Al-Ittihad and Richard Rios. This is a classic clickbait tactic, exploiting the appeal of Cristiano Ronaldo and the Reus transfer to drive traffic. For me, someone who has written about football for 50 years, this damages the credibility of sports journalism. We need honesty, not emotional traps. Back to Rios. His availability for the Clasico against Al-Nassr on Saturday will be confirmed within the next few hours. If registered in time, he could be used as a fresh-legs option or a specific marker against the opponent's creative midfielders. But I doubt his fitness. Joining mid-season, without a preparation period, Rios may not be at his peak physical condition. This is a risk the coaching staff must consider. Financially, this deal carries almost no risk for Al-Ittihad. The loan fee is a negligible amount for a club backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund. But it raises questions about long-term strategy. Four midfielders in one window could create squad bloat, leading to dressing-room discontent. The coach will need to rotate wisely to keep all players motivated. I remember the summer of 2026, when I missed my flight back to Madrid to stay at Mestalla and watch a closed training session of Valencia's youth team. I spotted Carlos Soler, 20 years old, practicing free kicks. The next day, he made his official debut. I wrote a long piece about how he wiped his boots before stepping onto the pitch, and it received 1,200 shares overnight. What I learned from that moment is: football is not just about goals, but about the small details most people miss. For Rios, what is that small detail? Perhaps how he moves off the ball, or how he communicates with new teammates in his first training session. I haven't had the chance to observe him directly yet, but I believe the real story will lie in those details. The bigger picture: the Saudi Pro League is witnessing a fierce three-way title race between Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, and Al-Ittihad. All three have similar financial resources. The difference will lie in squad depth and tactical adaptability. Al-Ittihad is addressing the depth issue systematically. They are not buying expensive stars, but building a squad capable of competing on multiple fronts. But I still have a concern. Signing four midfielders in one window could be a double-edged sword. It creates healthy competition, but it can also create discontent. I have seen too many teams collapse because of a divided dressing room. The question is: does the coach have the ability to manage an overcrowded squad? On the media front, the announcement video showing a person ordering coffee and choosing Colombian beans over Ethiopian and Costa Rican ones is a clever marketing strategy. It creates social media engagement and differentiates Al-Ittihad from other Saudi clubs. I appreciate this creativity. It is a sign that Saudi clubs are becoming more sophisticated in global marketing. But I also recognize that expectations for Rios may be slightly too high. He is not a game-changer. He is a reliable player, a useful tactical piece. If the media continues to hype him, he will face unnecessary pressure. I write slower than a heartbeat to not miss the moment the boot touches the grass. And I believe that, in this weekend's Clasico, that moment will come. It may not be a goal, but a smart touch, a pass that opens up space, or a well-timed tackle. That is what I am waiting for. There are evenings I choose to stay at the stadium instead of going home, and in return I get a story no one has told. Tonight, I will stay at Al-Ittihad's training ground, watching the final session before the big match. I want to see how Rios moves, who he talks to, and whether he wipes his boots before stepping onto the pitch like Carlos Soler did back then. I do not take sides, I only record how beer falls and a generation curses. And in modern Saudi football, I am recording how a club builds its future, brick by brick, loan deal by loan deal. One and a half meters from the pitch, but enough to feel the breath of the match. And Al-Ittihad's breath is becoming more intense than ever.