Matías Almeyda in Saudi Arabia: what's the story?
Newcastle United boss Matthias Jaissle has resurfaced in Saudi Arabia during the international break. The German's surprise visit has thrust his name back into the spotlight, not least because his exit from Al-Ahli just days before the season kicked off enraged the club's supporters.
Jaissle turned up at the home of Abdulaziz Al-Anqari, a former member of Al-Ahli's executive committee, for what looked like a friendly catch-up. Al-Anqari duly shared a photo of the pair, and that single image sent fans wondering what had brought Jaissle back to the Kingdom mid-break.
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Cutting ties with Al-Ahli shortly before the new campaign, Jaissle left to take charge of Newcastle. The timing stung. A section of the Al-Ahli faithful had fully expected him to stay on after his spell in charge, and his departure only days before the opening fixtures left them furious.
He swapped Saudi football for the Premier League and began a fresh chapter with Newcastle. Now he is back inside the Kingdom, only this time with no announced football business attached to the trip.
The visit landed at Al-Anqari's home, and given the former Al-Ahli man's history at the club, that detail alone drew plenty of eyes. The two go back to Jaissle's time at Al-Ahli, which made the reunion all the more intriguing for supporters.
No official word has explained the reason behind the trip, or whether it concerns work or private matters. Nobody has flagged any negotiations, nor linked the visit to any move involving Al-Ahli. For now, the meeting stays exactly what it appears to be: a friendly one, at least until more emerges.
Yet a return to Saudi Arabia after such a contentious exit was always going to grab attention. Al-Ahli fans still recall how he left and, crucially, when. It came just before the season began, right before he embarked on his Newcastle adventure.
No match, no statement, no press conference was needed to drag his name back into the Saudi conversation. One picture from Abdulaziz Al-Anqari's home did the job. It reopened the debate around Jaissle and his Al-Ahli chapter, and left everyone asking why he is in the Kingdom during the international break.
