Al Ittihad Sacks Manager, Nuno Santo

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager, Nuno Espirito Santo, has been dismissed by Saudi Pro League club, Al Ittihad.

The Saudi champions announced that Nuno was dismissed due to disappointing outcomes under his leadership.

Naija News understands that the club’s decision to part ways with Nuno was prompted by the team’s struggles in the Saudi Pro League, culminating in a 2-0 loss to Air Force Club of Iraq in the Asian Champions League on Monday.

Having previously achieved success as the manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers from 2017 to 2021, Nuno had taken charge of Al Ittihad in Jeddah in July of the previous year.

Last season, the ex-Porto coach successfully led Al Ittihad to clinch the Saudi title. However, rumours were circulating about a challenging rapport between the coach and striker Karim Benzema, who became a part of the club in June this year as one of the foreign star signings in the Pro League.

“The club has announced the end of its contract with Portuguese coach Nuno Santo,” Al Ittihad said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.

It added: “This decision comes after a comprehensive technical evaluation of the past phase during which he was in charge of coaching the first football team.”

Naija News understands that the club’s Assistant coach, Hassan Khalifa, will take temporary charge while the club finalise a replacement for Nuno, the statement said.

Nuno was appointed Tottenham manager in the summer of 2021 but lasted just four months before he was sacked.