Al-Ittihad Loan Stefan Cleary to Beveren for Development

Al-Ittihad have cut the cord, but only for a while.
Stefan Cleary is heading to Europe.

On Tuesday evening, “The Dean” confirmed that the young talent will join Belgian side Beveren on loan until the end of the current season, a move designed less as an exit and more as an investment in his future.

The deal, announced via the club’s official X account, gives Cleary the platform he has been missing: regular football. Al-Ittihad want him on the pitch, not on the fringes. Belgium becomes the testing ground.

For “The Tigers”, this is part of a clear, deliberate strategy. The club are reshaping their squad, rotating pieces with care. New faces arrive, others are sent out to grow, all while competition inside the dressing room grows sharper. Cleary’s departure fits neatly into that wider plan rather than signaling any loss of faith.

He will stay with Beveren until the campaign’s end, then return to Jeddah unless fresh developments emerge over the coming months. The message from the hierarchy before he left was simple and public: go, play, improve. Come back better.

There was no cold formality in the farewell. Management backed him openly, wishing him success and underlining their hope that Belgian football hardens his game and broadens his experience.

So Cleary steps into a new chapter, trading Al-Ittihad’s colors for Beveren’s for the rest of the season. The opportunity is clear: more minutes, sharper rhythm, real development. What he brings back with him may say a lot about where both he and Al-Ittihad are heading next.