It appears that the new coaching position at Al-Ittihad is now closed, as A Bola reports that the club’s management has already agreed with a world-class coach to coach the team for two seasons.
Al-Ittihad dismissed French coach Laurent Blanc after a poor start to the season, and his name was immediately linked to several top coaches, most notably German Jürgen Klopp, Italian Luciano Spalletti, and Spanish Xavi Hernandez.
According to A Bola, Al-Ittihad ultimately reached an agreement with Portuguese coach Sergio Conceicao, who is already packing his bags and preparing for his first experience in the Saudi League.
Initially, Conceicao was reluctant to coach in the Arab region and preferred to continue in Europe. However, the large financial offer he received from Al-Ittihad, which included a salary exceeding 5 million euros annually, made him change his mind.
Conceicao’s signing with Al-Ittihad is expected to be officially announced within a few hours, with the new role set to begin with the start of the upcoming international break. His first match in charge will be against Al-Shorta of Iraq in the AFC Champions League on October 20, followed by the Clasico against Al-Hilal in the Saudi League four days later.
Al-Ittihad had also been close to securing the approval of former Real Madrid coach Santiago Solari, who currently serves as the club’s sporting director. Negotiations were also in advanced stages with Dutchman Mark van Bommel, but the Saudi club’s management ultimately opted to sign Conceicao due to his greater and more successful coaching experience.
It is worth noting that Conceicao coached AC Milan from December until the end of the season last season, but he failed to lead the Rossoneri to a European berth, winning only the Italian Super Cup. His most prominent and successful coaching experience prior to that was with Porto, where he won every domestic title in Portugal.
