When Ange Postecoglou left Nottingham Forest in October, few would have predicted his next port of call would be Riyadh, but taking over Al-Nassr is likely to be one of the biggest challenges of his varied career. This is a coach who always wins something in his second season but there is little chance of a second season if there is no trophy in the first. The fact that he is the club’s 12th coach in the 2020s alone is a stark reminder that failure is not an option, and the financial issues that have meant a quiet summer in the transfer market won’t be accepted as an excuse.
In May, Cristiano Ronaldo lifted the Saudi Pro League title and soon after Al-Nassr head coach Jorge Jesus, the septuagenarian who has won something in the first season of his last two Saudi spells, left to take the Portugal job. Taking over the Saudi Arabian champions and their star-studded squad may seem like a fairly comfortable gig but this will be anything but.
