Anis Hadj Moussa was left out of Feyenoord’s squad for their trip to Nijmegen to face NEC after reportedly missing the team bus, an incident that has added fresh tension to the Algeria international’s uncertain future at the club.
The official explanation is disciplinary. Hadj Moussa is understood to have arrived too late for the team’s departure on Saturday morning, despite Feyenoord’s players having already spent the previous night in Nijmegen.
Reports in the Netherlands say the 24-year-old then remained at the hotel before returning home.
On its own, the incident might have been treated as a minor disciplinary matter. However, it comes as Feyenoord weigh a series of increasingly attractive offers from Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad for the winger.
Al-Ittihad initially saw a bid rejected before reportedly increasing their proposal to €37.5m. The Saudi club is then said to have added several million euros to that offer on Saturday.
That could take the total package close to €40m, a figure that would potentially establish a new record sale for Feyenoord.
The timing of Hadj Moussa’s omission has therefore intensified speculation about the transfer. According to De Telegraaf, the player was already unhappy with what his camp viewed as a lack of communication from Feyenoord at the beginning of negotiations with Al-Ittihad.
Those around Hadj Moussa also believe verbal agreements were reached over the terms of a possible departure.
Feyenoord’s management disputes that interpretation and insists no formal commitment was made. The club also points out that the Dutch transfer window has closed, meaning it can no longer sign a replacement if Hadj Moussa leaves.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst said as recently as Friday that he did not expect the player to depart.
Al-Ittihad, however, continue to pursue the deal. The Saudi transfer window closes on Sunday and the club appears determined to make one final attempt to sign the Algeria international.
Should Feyenoord accept an offer approaching €40m, the transfer would become historic for the Dutch club. It would also give Al-Ittihad a significant addition as they continue to press for the winger’s signature.
If the move cannot be completed, the Saudi club would retain Esmir Bajraktarevic of PSV Eindhoven as an alternative option. The Bosnia and Herzegovina international is understood to be the main fallback target.
It remains unclear whether Hadj Moussa’s late arrival was directly connected to his transfer situation. Nevertheless, with the player reportedly now keen to join Al-Ittihad and relations between him and Feyenoord appearing increasingly strained, his absence has inevitably prompted renewed questions about what happens next.
Feyenoord had appeared determined to keep the winger despite Al-Ittihad’s repeated approaches. The latest developments, coming just before the Saudi deadline, have reopened a transfer saga that had seemed to be moving towards a conclusion.
Louis Mukoma Fargues