Former Wolves and Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been unveiled as the new coach of Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad.
The 48-year-old Portuguese’s appointment was confirmed in a statement on the club’s official Twitter account on Monday evening. It said: “Nuno Santo is here. Welcome Coach.”
In a brief video message to the club’s fans on the same platform, Nuno said: “It’s an honour for me to join the greatest club in Saudi Arabia, Ittihad. See you soon.” Jeddah-based Al-Ittihad finished second in the Saudi Pro League after a 0-0 home draw with Al-Batin on the final day of the campaign allowed rivals Al-Hilal to secure the title for a third successive season with a 2-1 win over Al-Faisaly.
Former Valencia and Porto boss Nuno made a major impact in England with Wolves, leading the club into the Premier League and securing back-to-back seventh-place finishes as well as European qualification during his four-year spell at Molineux.
He was appointed as Jose Mourinho ’s successor at Spurs in June last year, but lasted just 17 games before he was replaced by Antonio Conte in November.
Meanwhile, in the Premier League, Duncan Ferguson has left his coaching role at Everton to pursue his managerial ambitions, the Premier League club have announced.
The former Toffees captain had served on the backroom staff to a succession of managers at Goodison Park.
The Scot, 50, also had two spells as caretaker boss, the most recent being after Rafael Benitez was sacked during last season. He reverted to a position as assistant manager after the appointment of Frank Lampard in January. He previously took charge of the side after the departure of Marco Silva in December 2019, filling in until the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti later that month.
His decision to move on ends a long association with the Merseyside club dating back to his signing as a striker from Rangers in 1994. He went on to score 73 goals in 273 appearances across two spells. He returned to the club as an academy coach in 2011 and was promoted to a position with the first team three years later.
Ferguson said: “It’s been a massive decision for me, an incredibly difficult one but I need to move on, to take that next step in my career and look for that new challenge. Being a caretaker manager has given me confidence to step into management.”
