Stefan Cleary Joins Beveren on Loan from Al-Ittihad

Al-Ittihad have opened the door for Stefan Cleary to step out and grow.

On Tuesday evening, "The Dean" confirmed that the young player will join Belgian side Beveren on loan, a move designed to give him the one thing he cannot be guaranteed in Jeddah right now: minutes.

The club announced on its official X account that it had accepted Beveren’s request to take Cleary until the end of the current season. He leaves "The Tigers" on a temporary basis, swapping the Saudi heat for Belgian pitches in search of rhythm, responsibility and a proper run of games.

This is not a rupture. It is a calculated release.

Al-Ittihad want Cleary on the pitch, not on the fringes. With fierce competition across the squad and new signings tightening the battle for places, the club’s hierarchy decided that a loan abroad offers a better route to development than sporadic cameos at home.

Cleary is expected to stay with Beveren until the campaign concludes, then report back to Al-Ittihad unless new decisions are made over his future in the coming months. The door remains open to all possibilities, but for now the plan is clear: play, improve, return stronger.

Before he left, the management sent him off with public backing, wishing him success in Belgium and expressing hope that he comes back a more complete and experienced footballer. The message was simple: this is your stage, go and use it.

His departure slots neatly into a broader strategy. Al-Ittihad are reshaping and fine-tuning their roster, blending arrivals with carefully chosen exits and loans. Some stay to fight for spots in a star-studded group; others, like Cleary, are sent out to sharpen their game under different pressures and styles.

So Stefan Cleary’s story takes a detour through Beveren. A season-long test in Belgium, the blessing of his parent club behind him, and a clear target in front of him: turn this loan into the launchpad of his Al-Ittihad career.