Gueye, Lage and Co embracing challenge as Diriyah Club make strong start to RSL life

Following a historic promotion to the top flight, Diriyah Club have wasted little time making their presence felt in the Roshn Saudi League.

The newly promoted side headed into the international break eighth in the table after winning three and drawing two of their opening seven matches, providing an encouraging start to their first RSL campaign.

That transition has been supported by significant changes during the summer. Portuguese coach Bruno Lage, a Primeira Liga title winner with Benfica who later managed Wolverhampton Wanderers in the English Premier League, was appointed in July to lead the club into its new era.

Diriyah Club also strengthened their squad with a number of high-profile additions, including Uruguay international Darwin Nunez on loan from Al Hilal, French midfielder Enzo Millot on loan from AFC Champions League Elite holders Al Ahli, and experienced Senegal midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye.

For Gueye, who joined following Senegal's 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, the move represents another chapter in a career spanning 15 years at the highest level of European football.

The 36-year-old, his country's record appearance-maker, believes that experience can help Diriyah Club as they establish themselves in the RSL.

“Throughout my career, I've had to face tough competition, good times as well as bad times. With my experience, I can help the team achieve its goals,” Gueye told the Saudi Pro League.

“But leadership isn't just about saying the right words, it's a behaviour you must show both on and off the pitch. With the help of my teammates, we will do good things and try to take the club as far as possible.”

A three-time Ligue 1 winner across spells with Lille and Paris Saint-Germain, Gueye also helped Senegal reach the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations final - he was named in the team of the tournament - and was part of the side that lifted the trophy three years later.

After spells in France and England, including seven seasons in the English Premier League with Aston Villa and Everton, Gueye saw Diriyah Club as the ideal opportunity for a new challenge.

“I felt it was the right time for me because the club has a great project,” he said. “It's a historic club that has a very close relationship with the history of the Kingdom and its identity.

“So, it was the right time for me to come here, with the Roshn Saudi League having welcomed many great players, great coaches, and many big personalities.”

That sense of history is also central to Lage's vision for the club. He arrived with extensive experience in European football and is focused now on building on the progress that carried his new employers into the RSL.

“It was a great honour to accept His Highness Prince Khalid bin Mohammed's offer to join this project and build the foundations of the club,” Lage told the Saudi Pro League.

“When I heard about this project, I was sure it was the right step for my career. With my experience, and with the experience of the squad from what they have achieved in the past two years, we are here to improve every area and, ultimately, be the best club we can be.

“We know we have a deep history and identity behind us, but at the same time, we have a great vision and ambition in front of us. We are working very hard to build a team that inside the pitch represents the real values of Diriyah.”

For Hussain Al Qahtani, who played an important role in last season's promotion campaign, flying the Diriyah flag carries particular significance.

“It is an immense feeling of pride to represent Diriyah Club,” the Saudi midfielder said. “Diriyah is the birthplace and origin of Saudi Arabia - a place of deep significance for every Saudi citizen.

"Because of that heritage, there is a massive responsibility on everyone who represents this club and this ecosystem, and we are determined to rise to that challenge.

“Our goals have always been big. We achieved our first objective by earning promotion to the Roshn Saudi League. Now, our focus is on taking things step by step, building on our momentum, and securing strong results in the top flight this season.”

Having already taken their first major step by reaching the RSL, Diriyah Club's opening weeks suggest a team intent on continuing its upward trajectory - combining an ambitious new project with an identity firmly rooted in one of the Kingdom's most historic sites.