Marcelino at the Center of Al-Ahli’s Coaching Drama

Al-Ahli’s summer has exploded into a managerial soap opera, and one name sits right at the center of it: Marcelino.

The former Villarreal boss has suddenly become the obsession of the club’s supporters, the man many see as the natural heir to Matthias Jaissle on the Saudi side’s bench next season.

Jaissle, according to press reports, handed in his resignation on Thursday. The German is expected to take over at Newcastle United next season, lined up as the successor to Eddie Howe. One door closes in Jeddah, another opens in the Premier League.

The moment his departure surfaced, the chase to identify his replacement began. Transfer specialists across Europe dived in, each trying to land the definitive line on who would lead Al-Ahli into the new campaign.

On Saturday morning, French journalist Santi Aouna dropped what looked like the decisive update. He reported that Marcelino is close to taking the Al-Ahli job, having agreed to the offer recently placed on his table. For a few hours, it felt as if the matter was all but settled.

Then came the twist.

Fabrizio Romano, the Italian transfer heavyweight, moved quickly to cool the noise. In a post on X, he stated that neither Marcelino nor Xavi Hernandez are close to taking the Al-Ahli role. No green light, no done deal, at least not from his side of the information battle.

The story refused to rest there.

Aouna fired back with a new update, this time in Arabic, doubling down on his version. He insisted Marcelino has already agreed to coach “Al-Raqi” on a two-year contract, adding that the only issue left on the table concerns the composition of the Spaniard’s backroom staff. The agreement, in his view, is in place; the details behind the bench are what still need ironing out.

Al-Ahli’s fans have little patience for drawn-out negotiations. The season is almost on top of them. The club opens its Roshn League campaign in less than two weeks, on 13 August, against Al-Diriyah in the first round.

A new project, a looming kick-off, and a dugout still officially vacant.

If Marcelino is indeed the man, Al-Ahli cannot afford to wait much longer.