Tunisian football legend Tarek Diab has surprised everyone by putting forward an unexpected candidate to take charge of Al-Ittihad Jeddah for the new season, succeeding the Portuguese manager Sérgio Conceição.
There have been press reports that Conceição is certain to leave at the end of the current season, due to his strained relationship with the players and the management, as well as a significant drop in results.
Tarek Diab said in comments to the Saudi network “Thamania”: “Al-Ittihad’s management must consider Saudi coach Saad Al-Shehri (technical director of Al-Ittifaq) to lead the team in the coming period.”
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He added: “Al-Shehri is better than Conceição, and this has been evident through his brilliant work with Al-Ittifaq this season; he has clearly outperformed Al-Qadisiyah coach Brendan Rodgers.”
He continued: “Al-Shehri has succeeded in establishing his authority in Al-Ittifaq’s dressing room, and his technical influence is clear for all to see. I believe that if he receives the support and resources that Conceição has, he will achieve a great deal with Al-Ittihad.”
He concluded by saying: “A great manager is one who works quietly and then leaves his mark, which is what Al-Shehri has done with Al-Ittifaq, and I hope he gets a bigger opportunity with the support he deserves.”