Who will replace Nuno Espirito Santo as Saudi’s Al-Ittihad coach?
After Al-Ittihad lost 2-0 to Iraqi champions Al-Quwa-Al-Jawiya in the AFC Champions League on Tuesday night, the writing was on the wall for coach Nuno Espirito Santo. Al-Ittihad has won just two of its nine games in all competitions and has not recorded a victory in the Saudi Pro League since late September.
Pressure had been mounting on Nuno in recent weeks and it came as little surprise when Al-Ittihad announced on Wednesday that the team had parted ways with the Portuguese manager.
Nuno’s sacking came less than 16 months after he arrived in Jeddah and only five months after leading the club to its first Saudi Pro League title in 14 years.
However, the Saudi Pro League is well known for its clubs’ ruthless managerial revolving door policy, and the wave of goodwill that followed that milestone triumph has now evaporated. It is a familiar feeling for Al-Ittihad fans as they eagerly await the appointment of a new head coach who will be the club’s ninth since 2018.
Al Arabiya English explores some of the coaches Al-Ittihad may hire as Nuno’s replacement.
Julian Lopetegui
The former FC Porto, Sevilla and Real Madrid coach has emerged as the early favorite for the role, with Al-Ittihad reportedly keen to land the Spaniard quickly. Lopetegui is available after leaving Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers early this season, having been unhappy with the club’s recruitment over the summer.
Lopetegui is unlikely to face similar problems at Al-Ittihad, which is ready to support its next coach financially. The Spanish trainer would be Al-Ittihad’s second ex-Wolves coach in succession, with Nuno Espirito Santo having also worked with the English club. It has been suggested that Lopetegui is holding out for another English Premier League job but should Al-Ittihad convince him to come to the Kingdom instead, his tactical acumen and preference for possession-based football would be a good fit for the Jeddah giants.
Jose Mourinho
The self-styled ‘Special One’ is currently at the helm of Roma, but a poor start to the season has led to intense speculation that Jose Mourinho may be about to part ways with the Giallorossi. At four of his past five clubs, Mourinho’s tenure has been around the two-year mark and he has already reached that stage with Roma.
Mourinho has been criticized in some quarters for being out of touch with modern football, but his pedigree is undeniable; since first impressing as Porto’s maverick coach 20 years he has won trophies everywhere he has coached, aside from Tottenham Hotspur. Mourinho would certainly bring character and gravitas to the role, and the man himself alluded to a move to the Kingdom last month.
“No one knows the future, but I will definitely do this [working in Saudi Arabia],” said Mourinho, who is on the board of directors at the Mahd Academy, which aims to discover talented players in the Kingdom. “Doors are always open for me in Saudi Arabia. I want to feel the development there… the competition is real, not just at domestic League, but also the AFC Champions League is very interesting.”
Zinedine Zidane
Rumors of a rift between Nuno and Al-Ittihad’s star striker Karim Benzema had been bubbling under the surface for the past couple of months before the former’s exit, so whoever takes the reins in Jeddah will need to immediately establish a good relationship with the club’s marquee signing, who arrived to much fanfare this summer.
Zinedine Zidane definitely has a history in that regard. At Real Madrid, the Frenchman consistently got the best out of Benzema, and the pair won three successive UEFA Champions League titles together at the Bernabeu between 2015 and 2018, as well as eight other trophies in a silverware-laden spell for Los Blancos. Could a glorious reunion be on the cards in Jeddah?
Zidane has been out of work since leaving Real Madrid for the second time in 2021 and has been linked with jobs at Al Nassr and Marseille in recent months but has repeatedly said he will only return to management for the right role. He has the profile and the history of winning trophies, though Zidane has never coached a club that isn’t Real Madrid.
Pericles Chamusca
Brazilian coach Pericles Chamusca has built an Al Taawoun side that is competing at the top of the Saudi Pro League despite having a fraction of the budget of the likes of Al-Ittihad, Al Hilal and Al Nassr. With greater resources at his disposal, could Chamusca put together an even more imperious team at Al-Ittihad?
The Jeddah club’s decision-makers were exposed to Chamusca’s abilities first-hand a couple of weeks ago when Al Taawoun held Al-Ittihad to a draw in the Saudi Pro League and the Brazilian would surely relish another crack at one of the Kingdom’s best sides. While at Al Faisaly, with whom he won the King’s Cup in 2021, Chamusca had an unusual – and short – ‘loan’ spell as coach as Al Hilal, but was not given the job full-time despite three wins and a draw from four games.
He has since demonstrated his abilities with impressive showings at Al Shabab. Now, AlTaawoun understands the Saudi League and Saudi football culture better than a high-profile import would and could be a less glamorous but more sensible choice for Al-Ittihad.
Gabriel Calderon
A slightly more left-field option, Gabriel Calderon was the last man before Nuno Espirito Santo to deliver Al-Ittihad the Saudi Pro League title back in 2009. That same year, the Argentine coach also guided the club to the AFC Champions League final, where they narrowly lost to South Korean side Pohang Steelers.
Calderon somewhat tarnished his Al-Ittihad legacy after leading the club’s historic rivals Al Hilal to the Saudi Pro League title just 18 months after his exit from Jeddah. Still, he remains a hugely experienced coach and could be a temporary option to steady the ship. Calderon, who was most recently at UAE side Khor Fakkan, also guided Saudi Arabia to the World Cup in 2006 and, aside from a short spell in Spain with Real Betis, has been coaching in the region for almost two decades.
