Marcelino Garcia Toral talks with Al-Ahli held up by coaching staff condition

Al-Ahli Saudi FC are continuing negotiations with Marcelino Garcia Toral over becoming their new head coach, but the appointment is being delayed by uncertainty over whether one member of his backroom team is willing to move to Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi club are seeking a replacement for German manager Matthias Jaissle as they prepare for the new season. According to journalist Santi Aouna, Al-Ahli have offered Marcelino a two-year contract worth up to €12m (£10.3m) per season as they attempt to persuade him to take charge of a new sporting project.

Marcelino is understood to be enthusiastic about the prospect of working with Al-Ahli. However, the Spanish coach has made it a central condition of any agreement that he is allowed to bring his entire coaching staff with him.

That request remains under discussion between the two parties, with negotiations yet to reach their final stage.

Aouna reports that one member of Marcelino’s proposed technical team is still hesitant about relocating to Saudi Arabia. That uncertainty has become the main obstacle to completing the deal and is responsible for the delay in making an official announcement.

Al-Ahli are not expected to allow the talks to continue indefinitely. The club could begin negotiations with other managers in the coming days if an agreement with Marcelino is not reached soon.

The situation means Marcelino remains the leading option for the Saudi side, but his appointment is not yet complete. The club’s willingness to offer a substantial salary over two seasons underlines its desire to secure him as part of its plans for the next campaign, while the coach’s insistence on retaining his full staff has left the move dependent on the decision of a single member of that group.

There has also been a separate reference in the report to speculation over whether Mohamed Salah could move to Atletico Madrid, although that issue is unrelated to the ongoing discussions between Al-Ahli and Marcelino.

For now, the Spanish manager’s interest in the Al-Ahli project is clear, but the club must resolve the backroom-staff issue before it can finalise the agreement. If that is not settled in the near future, Al-Ahli are prepared to widen their search and speak to alternative candidates.