Khaled Al-Ghannam, Al-Ettifaq first football team player, missed his scheduled entry to the preparatory camp in Alicante, Spain, on Thursday, according to a special source for Al-Riyadiah. The same source stated that Al-Ghannam obtained permission from the club's management to finalize his transfer to Al-Ittihad. Al-Ettifaq's management had reached an initial agreement with their counterpart at Al-Ittihad, as published by Al-Riyadiah on Monday, stipulating Al-Ghannam's transfer to the Jeddah-based team for a sum of money, in addition to the loan of the duo Hamed Al-Shanqiti, goalkeeper, and Abdul Ilah Hawsawi, midfielder, for one season. Al-Riyadiah reported on Tuesday that the deal saw new developments after Al-Qadsiah and Al-Ahli entered the negotiation line, taking advantage of Al-Ittihad not finalizing the deal. Al-Qadsiah expressed its desire to obtain Al-Ghannam's services, and Al-Ahli also sent an inquiry to Al-Ettifaq about the player's status. In a related context, Scottish defender Jack Hendry of Al-Ettifaq joined the preparatory camp in Alicante on Thursday after finishing his leave following his participation with his country's national team in the 2026 World Cup. On the field, Al-Ettifaq players on Thursday morning only had a recovery session after the 8-0 victory over Spanish Costa City in the first friendly match, a match that saw Australian Arthur Papas, the team's coach, give a large number of players the opportunity to assess their technical and physical readiness. Papas gave his players free time on Thursday evening, with training resuming on Friday as part of the technical and tactical program he set in preparation for the official competitions of the upcoming season.