Marcelo Gallardo close to becoming Al-Ittihad manager

Lopetegui rejected an offer to become Saudi club manager

After Julen Lopetegui made an abrupt turn, Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante are rumoured to train alongside Marcelo Gallardo at Al-Ittihad.

The 47-year-old will move to the Arabian Peninsula to manage Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League, as reported by TyC Sports. Gallardo and the team will agree to a deal that runs through June 2025. But until June 2027, there will be a chance to extend the agreement for a further two years.

Nuno Espirito Santo, the former manager, was fired when it was claimed that he and Karim Benzema got into a furious altercation in the dressing room following the team’s 2-0 loss against Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya of Iraq in the AFC Champions League.

The reigning champions targeted Lopetegui, previously the head coach of Real Madrid and Spain, to take over for the Portuguese, but he turned down the offer because he wanted to rejoin the Premier League.

Trending World Football Articles:

• Top four players with most goals in 2023
• Top six players with most assists in 2023
• Best goals scored in football in 2023: Ranked
• Top 10 best footballers of 2023: Ranked
• Best football matches of 2023: Ranked

Many people believe that Gallardo was the best manager in River Plate history. He has won 14 titles in his nine years as part of the Argentine team, notably two Copa Libertadores, among which he earned after upsetting fierce rivals Boca Juniors.

Additionally, in 2015, he led River Plate to the FIFA Club World Cup final, where they were defeated by Barcelona in the top match.

The Saudi Pro League encounter between Gallardo’s Al-Ittihad and Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq is scheduled for November 24 at Abdullah Al Dabil Stadium. His job will be easy because, as of matchday 13, Ittihad is ten points below Al-Hilal in fifth place.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Telegram.