Ex-Salzburg assistant becomes head coach in Saudi Arabia
The German coach previously worked as an assistant under Thomas Letsch in Salzburg. After half a year in Japan, he is now moving to Saudi top club Al-Ittihad.
Jens Wissing joined FC Red Bull Salzburg's coaching staff in the summer of 2025 as a replacement for the departed Onur Cinel, working under Thomas Letsch.
Together with the German manager, the 38-year-old served as an assistant coach for the "Bulls" in 22 matches before being replaced by Zlatko Junuzovic in October 2025.
Long-serving Assistant to Roger Schmidt
In January 2026, he took charge of a club for the first time as head coach at Gamba Osaka in Japan. Before that, he had also spent years as an assistant coach under ex-Salzburg coach Roger Schmidt at PSV Eindhoven (2021-2022) and Benfica Lisbon (2022-2024).
As reported by "kicker", Wissing is now on the verge of joining the Saudi Pro League. The German is expected to sign a contract with Al-Ittihad until 2028 in the coming days.
Victory over Ronaldo
Wissing is set to replace Sergio Conceicao, who was dismissed due to a disappointing fifth-place finish. Al-Ittihad were champions in Saudi Arabia last year.
The German has drawn attention to himself by winning the AFC Champions League Two final with Gamba Osaka 1-0 against Al-Nassr and superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
