 |
| 스포츠조선 DB |
|
 |
| ReutersYonhap News |
|
The Saudi Arabian club, which has fallen to the bottom of the Asian stage, is trying to escape the crisis.
Al-Etihad, who won the Saudi professional league last season, has been going through a difficult time recently. The start was a defeat against Alnasr. On September 27, he lost 0-2 against al-Nasr in the fourth round of the Saudi professional league in the 2025-2026 season at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah. Altihad was dragged away by Sadio Mane in the first nine minutes of the match. Then, in the 35th minute of the first half, Ronaldo even allowed an additional goal and collapsed.
After that, Laurent Blanc had to leave the team. Laurent Blanc, who played as a legendary defender of the French national team when he was active, is a coach with a lot of bones who has passed through the French national team, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Allaiyan, and Olympique Lyon. In the summer of 2024, he took over at RT Hard and challenged the Saudi stage. Blanc's first season in the Saudi league was great. In addition to winning the league, he also topped the Saudi King's Cup.
 |
| ReutersYonhap News |
|
However, the club dismissed him due to his poor first game in the Asian Champions League Elite (ACLE) and his loss to Alnasr. RT Hard said on its official SNS on the 29th that 'Blanc and the coaches all canceled the contract. I wish him all the best for his success,' he said in an official statement.
Even after Blanc's departure, the team's situation has not improved yet. RTHAD lost 0-1 in the second ACLE match against Shabab al-Ahli Dubai FC at home on the 1st. Key players from Europe, including Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Steve Verwein, Fabinho and Danilu Pereira, participated, but failed to prevent the defeat. Since losing a point to Said Ezzatolahi in the 40th minute of the first half, he has not been able to keep up with the gap of a goal. The defeat sent RETHAD down to 11th place in ACLE West. It is the same point as 12th-ranked Nasaf Karshi, who is at the bottom, but is ahead in the difference between gains and losses. It is a crisis that could fall to the bottom in the future.
 |
| ReutersYonhap News |
|
RT Hard is concentrating on recruiting a new coach as a solution to get out of the crisis. Famous European masters have been named. Jurgen Klopp was initially mentioned, but Klopp said in a recent interview that he has not yet thought about returning to the supervisor's position. The new candidate is Unai Emery.
Birmingham World in the U.K. on the 2nd (Korea time) 'RETHAD has appointed Unai Emery as one of the final candidates. The names were included in the list along with Xavier Hernandez and Luciano Spallay, it said. Emery, who is leading Aston Villa this season, is already a proven coach in Europe. He has won four Europa League titles and has led big clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal. However, contrary to RT Hard's will, it is still unclear whether Emery will head to Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, RT Hard is also a club that has steadily wanted to recruit Son Heung-min since the summer of 2023. Regarding Son Heung-min's proposal last summer, he reportedly received an offer of more than 190 billion euros in total annual salary, saying, `Son Heung-min was offered a contract with an annual salary of 30 million euros (about 49 billion won) every season for four years by the Saudi league RT Hard.' However, Son Heung-min did not head to RT Hard, but moved to LA FC this summer.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
