Al-Ittihad’s management continues its search for a new coach, and the latest name currently on the table is Real Madrid’s sporting director, Santiago Solari.
Al-Ittihad dismissed French coach Laurent Blanc a few days ago after a poor start to the current season. Hassan Khalifa took over temporarily until a new world-class coach is hired.
According to Foot Mercato, Al-Ittihad officials have opened negotiations with Santiago Solari in the past few hours.
Solari previously coached Real Madrid for a period of no more than six months between 2018 and 2019, before returning to the club three years ago in a new position as sporting director.
Solari’s position on leaving Real Madrid for Al-Ittihad has not yet been revealed, although the salary he is expected to earn at Al-Ittihad may make him consider the Saudi offer.
Solari is not the only option on the table for Al-Ittihad, as negotiations are underway with four other coaches at the same time.
Luciano Spalletti is the preferred choice for the club, but the Italian coach is demanding a very high salary and is keen to make major signings in the winter.
Sergio Conceicao is also a potential option, along with Dutchman Marco van Bommel. Meanwhile, Roger Schmidt has been dropped from consideration after taking over as sporting director of a Japanese club just hours ago.
It’s worth noting that the 48-year-old Solari has only coached at Real Madrid in his career, and his only experience outside of the club was with Mexican club Club América for a year. Overall, he has won only one title with the club, the 2018 Club World Cup.
