Portugal's Rui Santos has come into focus at Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia after taking temporary charge of first-team training following the departure of Germany's Matthias Jaissle. The management have yet to settle on a new coach before the season begins.
Al-Ahli's board are racing against time to strike a deal with a foreign head coach. Negotiations with more than one candidate have stalled over recent days, and that has opened the door to questions about whether Santos might stay at the helm, even if only for the start of the new campaign.
According to the newspaper "Arriyadiyah", Santos, coach of Al-Ahli's under-21 side, led the first team's training with the assistance of Mohamed Massad after the players returned from the break they were given following the end of the overseas camp in Austria and Portugal.
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His role remains temporary for now. But the shortage of time before kick-off may hand him an unexpected opportunity, especially if the management fail to settle the coaching question in the coming days.
Al-Ahli begin their Saudi Roshn League campaign on 13 August against Al-Diriyah. That deadline piles the pressure on the board to resolve the matter quickly, whether by signing a new coach or by backing Santos to lead the team through the opening phase of the season.