Saudi Arabian giants Al Ittihad have parted ways with head coach Nuno Espirito Santo. The move comes just one season after he led the team to the title.
On Monday, Al Ittihad announced on social media, “The club announces that it has terminated the contract of Nuno Espirito Santo. The decision was taken after a comprehensive evaluation of his technical performance as our first team coach. Coach Hassan Khalifa will lead the team in the interim as acting head coach.
Nuno was previously at Tottenham Hotspur, where he coached the likes of Son Heung-min and Harry Kane. He began his coaching career at Rio Ave in his native Portugal, and has also coached at Valencia, Porto, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Tottenham. His career took a hit when he was sacked after less than half a season in charge of Spurs, and he opted to move to the Middle East the following year when he took over at the Al Ittihad in 2022.
In his first season in charge, Nuno won the Saudi Pro League and Super Cup in 2022-2023, a double crown. It was Iltihad’s first trophy in 14 years. 무지개토토
But the team’s collection of star players proved to be a poison for Nunu. Al Ittihad was in the middle of a competitive superstar hunt by Saudi clubs. N’Golo Kante, Fabinho, and Luis Felipe were among the signings, as well as former Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema.
Despite the investment, the team didn’t perform well. The club currently sits in sixth place in the Pro League. In the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL), they suffered their first loss of the season to Iraqi side Alkhwa Al-Zawiyah on June 6. It was his last game in charge of Al Ittihad.