Marcelino Emerges as Top Candidate for Al-Ahli Coach

With less than a fortnight to go before Al-Ahli open their Roshn League campaign, the club’s biggest story isn’t about tactics, fitness or form. It’s about who will actually be sitting in the dugout.

Matthias Jaissle, the German coach brought in to front the ambitious Saudi project, has handed in his resignation, according to multiple press reports. The expectation is clear: he is set to take over at Newcastle United next season as the successor to Eddie Howe. One door closing in Jeddah, another swinging open on Tyneside.

The moment Jaissle’s future slipped into focus, the scramble began. Transfer specialists across Europe moved quickly to fill the vacuum, throwing names and possibilities into the air as Al-Ahli fans refreshed their feeds in search of certainty.

Into that chaos stepped Marcelino.

The former Villarreal boss has suddenly become the name on every Al-Ahli supporter’s lips. On Saturday morning, French journalist Santi Aouna reported that Marcelino is close to taking the job, claiming the Spaniard has agreed to the offer placed in front of him. For a fanbase desperate for clarity, it sounded like the first concrete step towards stability.

Then the story twisted.

Fabrizio Romano, the Italian journalist whose word carries enormous weight in the transfer market, pushed back publicly. In a post on X, he stated that neither Marcelino nor Xavi Hernandez are close to becoming Al-Ahli’s next coach. One tweet, and the supposed certainty around Marcelino’s arrival suddenly looked a lot less solid.

The debate didn’t end there. Aouna doubled down, this time switching to Arabic and sharpening his claim: Marcelino, he insisted, has already agreed to coach “Al-Raqi” on a two-year deal. The only unresolved issue, according to his latest update, is the composition of the backroom staff.

So the picture is this: two high-profile journalists, two very different readings of the same story, and one club staring down the start of a new season without an officially confirmed head coach.

Al-Ahli’s supporters don’t particularly care who wins the scoop. They care that their team kicks off on 13 August against Al-Diriyah with a clear plan and a clear leader. Every day without an announcement feels longer. Every conflicting report only tightens the tension.

The clock is ticking in Jeddah. The question now is not just who Al-Ahli choose, but how long they can afford to wait.