Gallardo replaces Santo as new Al-Ittihad boss

Published on: 18 November 2023

Marcelo Gallardo managed a Riyadh All-Stars team in a game against Paris St-Germain in January

Former Argentina international Marcelo Gallardo has been appointed the new head coach of Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad.

The 47-year-old former midfielder replaces ex-Tottenham and Wolverhampton Wanderers Nuno Espirito Santo.

He has signed a contract until 2025.

Gallardo was most recently in charge of Argentina side River Plate, guiding them to their league title in 2020-21, and previously managed Uruguayans Nacional.

Al-Ittihad are captained by France striker Karim Benzema, while former Liverpool midfielder Fabinho and ex-Chelsea and Leicester player N'Golo Kante also play for the club.

They are currently fifth in the Saudi Pro League.

Nuno was sacked after a poor run of results and former Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui had also been approached for the role, but the Spaniard opted to wait for an opportunity in the Premier League.

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Source: bbc.com

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