“Details” separate Marcelo Gallardo from his new professional adventure. After taking more than a year off after not renewing his contract with River Plate, ‘Muñeco”s future seems to be in Saudi Arabia.
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Al-Ittihadone of the most important teams in that country, wants him as a replacement for the Portuguese Nuno Espíritu Santo, whom they fired after the altercation with one of their top figures, the French scorer Karim Benzema.
The Argentine coach competed for the position with the Spanish Julen Lopeteguiformer coach of Wolverhampton, Sevilla, Real Madrid and the Spanish team, who chose not to continue the negotiation with the Arabs in search of a new opportunity in English football.
That decision, reported by the Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano (an expert in the transfer market), opened the door wide for Gallardo to keep the position. According to him, this Wednesday morning the board of directors of Al-Ittihad met to determine that the ‘Doll’ would be chosen for the position.
🟡⚫️🇦🇷 Marcelo Gallardo will sign as new Al Ittihad manager on contract valid until June 2025.
It will also include an option to extend for further 18 months, until June 2027. pic.twitter.com/hFWucC1Onr
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 15, 2023
Thus, and in the midst of a negotiation that has been going well since its beginning, the coach’s entourage is awaiting the sending of the papers regarding his contract, which would be for a year and a half.
The Argentine journalist César Merlo, expert in the transfer market, reported that “the coach and his agent are waiting for the contracts and, if everything is good, he will travel in the coming days to have his Arab experience.”
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This legal exchange will be the last obstacle to overcome so that before the ‘Doll’ can be presented to his new club, whose headquarters are in Jeddah, it has never been relegated in its entire history and has 38 league titles.
Their greatest rivalry is with Al-Hilal, and those matches are known as “El Clásico” of Saudi Arabia. The Brazilian Neymar plays on that team (now injured) and until last season his coach was another symbol of River: Ramón Díaz from Rioja.
Gallardo is going to meet a club in crisis
Al-Ittihad is fifth in the Saudi Pro League, eleven points behind Al-Hilal, the tournament leader. Although there is no Argentine in its ranks, it has several world-renowned figures and multimillion-dollar salaries.
In addition to Benzema, N’Golo Kanté, former Chelsea and French national team midfielder, also plays there. The goalkeeper is Brazilian, former Gremio Marcelo Grohe (36 years old). Former Betis Luiz Felipe, also Brazilian, was this season’s star signing for the defense.
The contingent of footballers from that country is completed with midfielders Igor Coronado and Fabinho (former Liverpool) and forward Romarinho. There are two Argentines who once wore the yellow shirt of Al-Ittihad: Luciano Vecchio, today in Racing, and Rolando Zárate, formerly of Vélez and Real Madrid.
If your arrival in Saudi Arabia is confirmed, Gallardo would debut only in 9 days. The first match on Al-Ittihad’s agenda is scheduled for Friday, November 24.
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It will be as a visitor to Al-Ettifaq, a team that is seventh in the Saudi Pro League, with just two points less than Al-Ettihad, Muñeco’s new club. Al-Ettifaq is coached by Englishman Steven Gerrard and has another Englishman, Jordan Henderson, as his star footballer. Other important players are the Swede Robin Quaison, the Dutch Georginio Wijnaldum (another former Liverpool player) and the Jamaican Demarai Gray.
In Al-Ittihad’s match program, however, there is one event marked with fire. This is the Club World Cup. The traditional competition, which will pit the champions of the five continents against each other, will be held starting December 12 in Saudi Arabia.
Al-Ittihad, then, will be local. And he will debut in the first match of the tournament against Auckland City, from New Zealand. If they win, their second match is scheduled against Al-Ahly, from Egypt, the African monarch. And if they win they will be in the semifinals. There Fluminense will be waiting for him, the brand new winner of the Copa Libertadores, and with Fernando Diniz as coach.
There may then be a confrontation between Felipe Melo, captain and reference of the Rio team, but identified with Boca, and Gallardo, synonymous with River. A small superclassic in the Middle East.
SPORTS
With information from La Nación de Argentina (GDA).
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