Al Ahli have made contact with former Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou and he is among the candidates the Saudi Pro League side are considering if a managerial change is made.
Former Barcelona head coach Xavi is also among the potential options being considered by Al Ahli in the event of head coach Matthias Jaissle departing the club.
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Jaissle’s Al Ahli contract runs until 2026 and he has turned down multiple offers of a new deal, leading to the club opening negotiations with other candidates, and talks are moving quickly with Postecoglou.
Contract talks are ongoing with Jaissle, who is also among the options RB Leipzig are considering in case a move for top target Ole Werner does not go to plan.
Jaissle’s potential departure would be complicated as he led the club to AFC Champions League success in May and he remains a popular figure with supporters.
Postecoglou was dismissed by Tottenham in June despite him winning the club’s first major trophy in 17 years.
The Australian led Spurs to victory in the Europa League final over Manchester United in May — the club’s first piece of silverware since 2008 — but they finished 17th in the Premier League. Thomas Frank has since been appointed his successor.
Xavi, meanwhile, has been out of management since being sacked by Barcelona in May 2024.
Jaissle’s potential successor would inherit a squad at Al Ahli that includes former Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez, former Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino and former Brentford striker Ivan Toney.
They are one of four clubs Saudi’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) took control of in the summer of 2023, leading to significant transfer spending and an influx of overseas talent into the division.
A move to Al Ahli would represent Potecoglou’s first coaching role in Saudi Arabia, having managed in Australia, Greece, Japan, Scotland and England.
He joined Tottenham in the summer of 2023 and led the club to a fifth-place finish during his debut season in charge.
However, Tottenham won only 11 league games during the 2024-25 campaign and endured a pair of six-game winless runs over April and May, and December and January. Their total of 22 losses was the most of any team not to be relegated in a 38-game Premier League season.
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Postecoglou did have to contend with an extensive injury list, with Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson, Yves Bissouma, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie, Lucas Bergvall, Dejan Kulusevski, Guglielmo Vicario, Richarlison, James Maddison, Radu Dragusin and Wilson Odobert all missing periods.
Xavi, meanwhile, had announced in January 2024 his intention to leave Barca at the end of the 2023-24 season before being persuaded to reverse his decision in April. He was then dismissed just 30 days after April’s announcement that he would see out his contract until 2025.
He won the La Liga title during his debut season in charge of Barca but the club trailed Real Madrid by 10 points the following campaign.
Jaissle, 37, joined Al Ahli from Red Bull Salzburg in 2023 and led them to third in the Saudi Pro League during his debut season, followed by a maiden AFC Champions League title the following campaign.
(Photo: Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
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