- Nuno Espirito Santo was fired by Saudi Pro League team Al-Ittihad on Tuesday
- Julen Lopetegui has reportedly been drafted despite his desire for the Premier League
- Chris Sutton: ‘How my son almost died’ Listen to the podcast It’s All Kicking Off
Al-Ittihad are reportedly in line for Julen Lopetegui after sacking Nuno Espirito Santo on Tuesday.
The Saudi Pro League side have won just six of 12 league games so far this season and made the decision to sack him after their 2-0 defeat to the Air Force Club of Iraq in the Asian Champions League on Monday.
Despite signing the likes of Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Fabinho, they sit sixth in the standings – 11 points behind leaders A-Hilal.
Santo took over at Al-Ittihad in July 2022 after being fired by Tottenham eight months earlier.
The 49-year-old was previously manager of Wolves, with Lopetegui leaving just three days before the start of the current season.
Nuno Espirito Santo was fired by Saudi Pro League team Al-Ittihad on Tuesday
Former Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui has reportedly been lined up as Santo’s replacement
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Spanish football expert Guillem Balague – who has a close relationship with Lopetegui – said that despite Al-Ittihad’s interest, the manager is keen to wait until an opportunity in the Premier League arises.
He tweeted: “His plan is clear. He remains in England and waits for an opportunity in the Premier League.
‘Every team that has contacted him in the past (Lyon, Villarreal, etc.) was heard, but I think his idea is clear (let’s see if a huge huge huge offer changes his mind, but I doubt it).’
There are currently no Premier League vacancies for Lopetegui to apply for, and there have been a notable absence of redundancies so far this season.
Lopetegui, after guiding Wolves to a 13th-place finish last season, left the club after expressing his frustrations over their lack of summer spending.
Spanish publication SPORT linked the Spaniard as a potential replacement for Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.
Although the Dutchman does not seem to be in trouble yet, despite the Red Devils’ disappointing start to the season.
Al-Ittihad’s poor form comes despite having N’Golo Kante and Karim Benzema in their ranks
Lopetegui left Wolves days before the start of the season after expressing his frustrations over their lack of summer spending
Al-Ittihad said in a statement that assistant coach Hassan Khalifa will take charge “until the procedures for hiring a new coach are completed.”
They said: ‘The club announces the termination of the contractual relationship with Portuguese coach Nuno Santo, following an extensive technical evaluation process for the final phase in which he took over the task of overseeing the training of the first football team.
“The Al-Ittihad Club thanks coach Nuno Santo for what he has achieved during his tenure and wishes him success in the coming period.”