Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad sack former Spurs boss Nuno Santo

Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad have sacked former Tottenham manager Nuno Espirito Santo following a run of poor results.

They have won six of 12 league games this season and suffered a 2-0 defeat by Air Force Club of Iraq in the Asian Champions League on Monday.

Nuno, 49, took over at Al-Ittihad in July 2022 after being sacked by Tottenham eight months earlier.

Assistant coach Hassan Khalifa will take interim charge of the team.

Portuguese Nuno enjoyed a successful spell at Wolves from 2017 to 2021 but lasted just four months at Spurs before being replaced by Antonio Conte after losing five of 10 Premier League matches.

The former Porto coach guided Jeddah-based Al-Ittihad to the Saudi title last season, but there were reports of a difficult relationship with former Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, who joined the club in June this year as part of the influx of stars into the league.

In a statement on X, Al-Ittihad said: “The club has announced the end of its contract with Portuguese coach Nuno Santo.

“This decision comes after a comprehensive technical evaluation of the past phase during which he was in charge of coaching the first football team.”

Former Liverpool midfielder Fabinho and ex-Chelsea and Leicester player N’Golo Kante also play for Al-Ittihad, who are sixth in the Saudi Pro League and will next play Abha on Friday.