Former Tottenham manager Nuno Espirito Santo has been sacked by his club Al-Ittihad following a run of poor results.
Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad have won six of 12 league games this season and suffered a 2-0 defeat by Air Force Club of Iraq in the Asian Champions League on Monday.
Nuno took over at Al-Ittihad in July 2022 after being sacked by Tottenham eight months earlier.
There are reports that former Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui has been approached for the role but the Spaniard is keen to wait for an opportunity in the Premier League.
The club are also reportedly interested in ex-France and Paris St-Germain boss Laurent Blanc as well as former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane.
Portuguese manager Nuno enjoyed a successful spell at Wolves from 2017 to 2021 but lasted just four months at Spurs before being replaced by Antonio Conte after losing five of 10 Premier League matches.
The former Porto coach guided Jeddah-based Al-Ittihad to the Saudi title last season, but there were reports of a difficult relationship with former Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, who joined the club in June this year as part of the influx of stars into the league.
In a statement on X, Al-Ittihad said: “The club has announced the end of its contract with Portuguese coach Nuno Santo.
“This decision comes after a comprehensive technical evaluation of the past phase during which he was in charge of coaching the first football team.”
Former Liverpool midfielder Fabinho and ex-Chelsea and Leicester player N’Golo Kante also play for Al-Ittihad, who are sixth in the Saudi Pro League.
