Al-Ittihad Sends Stefan Cleary to Belgium for Development

Al-Ittihad have drawn a clear line through Stefan Cleary’s season – and it runs straight to Belgium.

On Tuesday evening, “The Dean” confirmed that the young player will join Belgian side Beveren on loan, a move designed less as an exit and more as an investment in his future. The deal runs until the end of the current campaign, as announced on the club’s official X account.

For Cleary, it is a break from “The Tigers,” but only in geography. The message from Jeddah is simple: go, play, grow.

Al-Ittihad want minutes, not promises, for their prospect. With competition inside the squad fierce and new faces arriving, the club have chosen a different route for the youngster – regular football in Europe rather than sporadic cameos at home. Belgian soil becomes his testing ground.

The plan is straightforward. Cleary spends the rest of the season with Beveren, then returns to Al-Ittihad when the campaign ends, unless fresh developments reshape his path in the coming months. The door back remains open, but what he brings through it is now up to him.

Before he left, the club’s hierarchy made their stance clear, sending a message of support and backing his temporary move. They want him to come back sharper, tougher, and more experienced – a player shaped by the demands of a different league.

His departure is not an isolated decision. It fits neatly into a wider Al-Ittihad strategy this season: manage the squad tightly, refresh the dressing room with new arrivals, and send selected talents abroad to refine their game. Every move is framed by the intense battle for places within the group.

So Cleary steps into a new chapter in Beveren’s colours, armed with Al-Ittihad’s blessing and a simple target – more game time, better form, real development. What he does with this loan spell will say a lot about where he stands when he walks back into that crowded Al-Ittihad dressing room.