Egyptian press reports indicated that Al Ahly’s management contacted former Al Nassr coach Luis Castro in the past few hours to explore the possibility of him taking over as coach of the Red Castle.
Al Ahly dismissed coach Marcel Koller after three years at Al Jazira following poor results this season, which culminated in a semi-final exit from the CAF Champions League to Mamelodi Sundowns at Cairo International Stadium.
Al Ahly appointed Emad El Nahhas as interim coach until a permanent coach is hired. Work is underway to quickly resolve this matter, giving the new coach a chance to familiarize himself with the team before the 2025 Club World Cup.
Luis Castro Refuses to Coach Al Ahly
According to the latest reports, Luis Castro has refused to coach Al Ahly, citing his desire to work away from the Middle East and return to coaching in Europe.
Castro was fired at the beginning of this season from coaching Al Nassr due to poor results and has not worked at any other club since then.
Although the Portuguese coach has no concrete European options yet, his current priority remains awaiting an offer from the Old Continent, and to a lesser extent, he may return to Brazil, where he previously excelled with Botafogo.
It’s worth noting that Castro has two experiences in the Arab region: the first with Al-Duhail between 2021 and 2022, and the second with Al-Nassr. He won the Emir of Qatar Cup with the former, and only won the Arab Club Championship with the Saudi club.
Zizo will participate in the Club World Cup with Al-Ahly… The Egyptian Cup is the only way!
The most prominent candidates to coach Al-Ahly to succeed Koller
Al-Ahly currently has several names in the mix, and the first choice is said to be former Leipzig coach Marco Rose. However, the German’s financial demands are hindering his first time working in Africa, as he wants to earn 4 million euros annually, equivalent to approximately 250 million Egyptian pounds.
Meanwhile, Al Ahly has been linked with former Zamalek coach and current Al-Fateh coach Jose Gomez, as well as Croatian Slavan Bilic and German Roger Schmidt.
Al Ahly’s Upcoming Matches
Emad El-Nahhas will lead Al Ahly for Wednesday’s match against Petrojet in the decisive second round of the Egyptian Premier League title race. Given the limited time available, he is expected to remain in his position until Sunday’s match against Haras El-Hodoud.
Ahmed Shobeir, a journalist close to Al Ahly’s management, confirmed that Mahmoud El-Khatib’s administration is seeking to finalize the new coach’s position as soon as possible, and that an agreement with one of the names on the table could be reached in the next few hours.
It’s worth noting that Al Ahly currently occupies second place in the Egyptian Premier League, four points behind leaders Pyramids FC. They were eliminated from the CAF Champions League and did not participate in the Egypt Cup this season due to their withdrawal from last season’s edition.
