Saudi Pro League giants Al-Ahli are on the brink of appointing Red Bull Salzburg head coach Matthias Jaissle.
Fabrizio Romano reports talks between the Saudis and the perennial Austrian Bundesliga champions are moving to the final stages.
Unless a major development in the next few days, the deal should go through by the end of the week, with the 35-year-old expected to fill the vacant spot in the dugout.
Al-Ahli parted ways with title-winning South African manager Pitso Mosimane at the end of last season.
The 59-year-old guided the Jeddah-based side to top-flight promotion, recording an eye-catching 88% unbeaten ratio to win the title in the second tier with a four-point lead on second-placed Al-Hazem.
However, Mosimane left King Abdullah Sports City to take charge of Emirati giants Al Wahda in mid-June.
Little did he know Al-Ahli would go wild in the ongoing transfer window to assemble a star-studded squad to mount a title challenge in their comeback top-flight campaign.
Like their fierce domestic rivals Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr, the ‘Fortress of Trophies’ have had a busy summer.
Edouard Mendy, Roberto Firmino, Riyad Mahrez and Allan Saint-Maximin have swapped England for Jeddah to join another ex-Premier League star Ezgjan Alioski.
It’s no wonder Al-Ahli have heavily invested in strengthening their frontline after averaging just 1.41 goals per game in last season’s First Division League despite winning the title.
With Firmino, Mahrez and Saint-Maximin, their new-look attack looks frightening. It’s fair to say this trio would cause problems for almost every European side, let alone Saudi Pro League teams.
But names don’t win the titles – a group does. And Al-Ahli need someone to put pieces into place, and they see the up-and-coming Salzburg boss Jaissle as a suitable candidate for the job.
The German tactician has won back-to-back league titles in two seasons at the club, earning a reputation as one of Europe”s most talented young managers.
